Friday Apple Rumors: iPhone 5 Supplier in Bubble Trouble

by Anthony John Agnello | September 23, 2011 11:01 am

Here are your Apple news items and rumors for Friday:

Touchscreen Troubles for iPhone 5 Release? DigiTimes reported on Friday that flaws in the touchscreens used in manufacturing Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL[1]) still-unannounced iPhone 5 might cause some shortages of the device when it releases in October. The website’s source claims that Wintek, which produces nearly one-quarter of the touchscreens used for Apple’s new phone[2], is unable to prevent its touch panels from forming a “delayed bubble” defect during production. TPK Holdings and Chimei are Apple’s other suppliers and might have to pick up the slack left from Wintek for Apple to meet its goal of shipping around 25 million iPhone 5s this fall.

Financial Times’ Web App More Popular Than iPhone App: Pearson’s (NYSE:PSO[3]) Financial Times pulled a fast one on Apple in June[4] when it released an interactive version of its magazine that could be read on the iPhone and iPad through those devices’ Safari web browser. It was a fast one because Pearson avoided having to pay the 30% cut Apple takes of every transaction made through its App Store. According to a Friday report in Reuters (via 9 to 5 Mac), the move worked out well for Financial Times[5]. The web app version of the magazine has proven more popular than the original iOS-based app sold in the App Store, netting the paper a total of 700,000 users. However, publishing on the iPad and iPhone still is an inexact science. The New Yorker has crowed about its success selling its own app through the App Store[6], but that publication only has a readership of around 100,000. It looks like publishers might be better off bringing their app versions to the web rather than Apple.

iPhone Users Worried About Security: A new study from research firm NPD Group, detailed in a TUAW report, found iPhone users aren’t completely ecstatic about the new smartphone world. Both iPhone and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG[7]) Android phone users are highly concerned about security on their devices[8]. Almost 40% of all iPhone users are concerned that credit card theft, location tracking, malware and personal file hacking are concerns inherent in using their smartphone of choice. iPhone users should relax. Intel’s (NASDAQ:INTC[9]) McAfee computer security company reported in August that no malware targeting the iPhone has been discovered yet[10].

As of this writing, Anthony John Agnello did not own a position in any of the stocks named here. Follow him on Twitter at @ajohnagnello[11] and become a fan of InvestorPlace on Facebook[12].

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2011/09/apple-rumors-iphone-5-financial-times/

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