As per a report from CNET, China based component site Cecb2b has mentioned that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has already supplied Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) with the first batch of Touch ID fingerprint sensor that are to be used in iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and the next generation iPad Mini in April.
TSMC Supplied First Lot Of Sensors
Previous reports from January noted that TSMC would commence production on the sensors around the second quarter of the year and would employ 12-inch fab processing. But, later in February, reports emerged that TSMC will be using the same 8 inch fingerprint sensor process as used in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone 5s. However, the new reports appear positive as after the 5s launch with limited supplies due to production issues with touch ID sensors. While it is not a surprise that Touch ID will come to iPads but experts are hopeful that it will be extended beyond new purchases so as to increase more users in iPad.
4.7” iPhone Ahead Of 5.5”
Apart from this, a new report indicates that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s supplier, Pegatron, has received 15% of the orders of Apple’s latest offering 4.7 inch iPhone 6, which is expected to come in markets September this year. The report says that Pegatron is expected to manufacture nearly 50 billion of the devices. Apple’s another supplier, Foxconn, is expected to produce the rest of the 85% of the 4.7 inch model. However, the report indicates shipping of 4.7 inch iPhone 6 earlier than its 5.5 inch model due to display and battery cell supply issues.
Costly Sapphire Display
In another story, a Weibo report notes that the production of 5.5 inch iPhone 6 will be limited due to higher cost of sapphire display, that costs CNY 1,743 (around $280). It claims that the sapphire based display material may cost up to $280 as compared to the existing display material cost of $44. While it is rumored that Apple will use the sapphire display in smaller devices, analysts are suggesting that sapphire based models could be reserved for iPhone’s high-priced models.
