Friday Apple Rumors: Sharp Slashes iPad Screen Production

Advertisement

daily apple rumors AAPLHere are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

Demand Signal: Production of the screens for Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) standard-sized iPad have all but stopped at Sharp‘s (PINK:SHCAYJapanese production facilities, Reuters noted. Manufacturing of the 9.7-inch screens began to slow in late 2012 and is now nearing a production shutdown. Sharp officials declined to comment on the matter to Reuters. The production halt could be explained by seasonal variations in demand, a change in product design, a move toward another supplier or iPad Mini sales eating into standard-sized iPad demand. The report comes after rumors earlier this month that Apple has scaled back orders for touchscreens for its iPhone 5 in the face of weak demand. Those reports sent the company’s stock tumbling. Other suppliers for the iPad’s touchscreens includin LG Display (NYSE:LPL) and Samsung.

Huge Orders: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) anticipates that it will produce virtually all the 28nm chips made in 2013, TheNextWeb notes. TSM CEO Morris Chang reportedly said the company will spend $9 billion making the chips this year and will spend even more as it develops 20nm and 16nm. Chang’s claim to complete control of the market for 28nm chips suggests to a number of analysts that TSM has received large orders for the chips from Apple. Recently, reports indicated that TSM had begin producing test runs of Apple’s A6X chips, which are used in the iPhone and iPad. Last year, Apple moved from 45nm chips to 32nm chips, made by Samsung. However, Apple has been looking to end its reliance on Samsung, which has emerged as a mobile device rival. The growing partnership between Apple and TSM has been the subject of rumors for months. Last month, it was reported that TSM is looking to built a chip foundry in the U.S., likely for the production of chips for Apple.

Collusion: Apple CEO Tim Cook has been ordered to appear for four hours of questioning over Apple’s anti-poaching policies, AppleInsider noted. The order came from California Judge Lucy Koh in relation to a lawsuit brought by five former employees of major technology firms, who accuse the companies of colluding on anti-poaching policies to employees’ detriment. In addition to Cook, Google‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has also been ordered to undergo questioning. Koh rejected a motion to dismiss the suit in April, arguing that collusion among the companies was probable.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2013/01/friday-apple-rumors-sharp-slashes-ipad-screen-production/.

©2024 InvestorPlace Media, LLC