Sharp confirms display shipments for iPhone 5

Sharp president Takashi Okuda today confirmed to Reuters that his company will begin shipping displays for Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone this month. This is the first time to my knowledge that a major supplier officially confirmed an unreleased Apple product, even if he didn’t give a more specific date for shipments beyond this month. The panels will be four inches corner to corner, 30 percent bigger than current iPhones, sources told the news gathering organization…

Okuda told Reuters:

Shipments will start in August,” Sharp’s new president, Takashi Okuda, said at a press briefing in Tokyo on Thursday after the company released its latest quarterly earnings.

The report notes that Sharp will be delivering in-cell panels, in line with earlier reports:

The iPhone screens will also be thinner than their previous incarnations with the use of so-called in-cell panels. The new technology embeds touch sensors into the liquid crystal display, eliminating the touch-screen layer found in current iPhones.

In addition to Sharp, the other two suppliers of the panels are LG Display and Japan Display, the report has it. The story also states that the next iPhone will be released in October:

Japan’s Sharp Corp. said it will start shipping screens destined for a new Apple iPhone that is widely expected to be released in October ahead of the pre-Christmas shopping season.

This contradicts claims by Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and others that Apple will be holding a media event on September 12 to talk iPhone 5, with release date pinpointed to September 21.

The confirmation is also surprising given Tim Cook’s acknowledgment at the D10 conference that Apple would absolutely double down on security to prevent leaks and hints about upcoming products from hitting headlines.

Another report from today cited a Display Search analyst who estimated that panel production for a rumored mini iPad will commence later this month, with production ramping up to more than a million units per month in the fourth quarter.



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Rumor: iPad mini display production to start this month

Alongside the new iPhone that everyone keeps talking about, Apple’s other big announcement this fall is expected to be a smaller tablet. Dubbed the “iPad mini,” by the media, the slate is believed to house a 7.85-inch screen and fall in the $200 price range.

Although there’s no actual evidence that such a product exists, it’s been confirmed by a number different news outlets. In fact, a new report is out this evening claiming that Apple is set to start production on the smaller tablet’s display sometime this month…

Citing an analyst, CNET reports:

“We expect panel production to start in August, with production ramping up to high volumes (more than a million units per month) in the fourth quarter,” said Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, in response to an e-mail query.

Semenza said this is Display Search’s “understanding of the activity for the 7.85 [inch] panel expected to be used in the iPad Mini.” If this production schedule plays out, it could indicate a late 2012 launch, he said.”

Interestingly enough, this echoes recent reports that put the iPad mini’s release sometime in the last quarter of this year. We’ve heard it could launch as early as September 21st, along with the new iPhone, or as late as November.

But release date aside, Apple is expected to show off the tablet at a media event in the second week of September. It’s said to have a 7.85-inch, 1024×768 display, an extremely thin profile, and a price tag under $300.

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Purported iPad mini cases surface ahead of expected launch

Now that it’s been all but confirmed that Apple will be hosting a media event in September, the spotlight turns to the focus of the meeting. Obviously, a new iPhone is a given. But what else will Apple be unveiling that day?

One report suggests that we could see the rumored iPad mini at the event, although there is still no actual evidence that such a product exists. But that’s not stopping case-makers from ramping up production…

9to5Mac points to some new DeviceWear cases that surfaced on the web earlier today, and appear to be made for a smaller iPad. The images were taken down shortly after they went live, but 9to5Mac was able to score a couple of photos.

“Now we’re seeing a first glimpse at some iPad mini cases. According to a few tips we received, case maker DeviceWear posted and took down a website for their own iPad mini cases. We’re not too sure what to make of that, but last year, case maker Case-Mate did the same for the iPhone 5. “

As you may recall, the iPhone 5 design depicted in the Case-Mate images turned out to be fake — likely a publicity stunt that was piggybacking on the media attention and anticipation surrounding Apple’s new iPhone.

But real or not, these images do depict a smaller iPad that lines up perfectly with previous reports. The tablet appears to be extremely thin, and has the smaller 19-pin dock connector that Apple is expected to start using in its iOS devices from here on out.



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Apple’s AuthenTec purchase indicates an e-wallet fingerprint service

Apple’s $356 million acquisition of mobile security firm AuthenTec (already under investigation, by the way) has been already deemed by one analyst as a move meant to bolster security of iOS devices in enterprise. Now another analysts chimes in with speculation that the transaction, still pending approval, will probably help Apple create a mobile payment system around future iOS devices built around an e-wallet fingerprint service…

Financial Post quotes RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani:

The largest feature that could be added due to the AuthenTec acquisition would be a move to an e-wallet fingerprint service.

While the current security offerings for the iPhone are solid, we believe fingerprint security could allow for a secure mobile e-payment service offering.

AuthenTec’s hardware and software could theoretically be used in future iPhones to let one unlock the device and make payments simply by swiping their finger over a built-in touch sensor aking to fingerprint sensors seen on many HP notebooks, for example.

The analyst’s view is shared by writer Mike Elgan, who similarly speculates that AuthenTec’s technology potentially gives Apple’s devices the bets user identification system there is:

AuthenTec technology would help Apple offer a system that’s secure, even over something as inherently insecure as Bluetooth.

The store would know that the customer is really you, and you would know that the only one you’re giving your money to is the store, not the creepy weirdo in the bathroom using his laptop.

This actually makes more sense to me than the notion that Apple bought AuthenTec for enterprise security. The next iPhone is supposed to come with an NFC chip for secure wireless payments.



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AllThingsD reaffirms September iPhone launch [updated]

Last night, iMore published a report claiming that Apple was going to unveil its new iPhone, and other products, at a media event on September 12th. The note also said that the handset would be released the following week.

While a September launch seems a bit early, considering last year’s timeframe, evidence is really piling up in its favor. In fact, a new report is out this afternoon reaffirming the date…

AllThingsD‘s John Paczkowski reports:

“iMore was first to report that the company has scheduled a special event for Wednesday, September 12, and now we’ve confirmed it as well. Sources tell AllThingsD that Apple is currently planning an event for that week. And while we haven’t yet confirmed its focus, history suggests it will indeed be the new iPhone. One thing’s for certain, though: Apple is ramping up for a big fall product cycle.”

Paczkowski’s sources have been extremely accurate in the past. AllThingsD has correctly reported on a number of Apple rumors this year including the iPad event date, and Apple’s all-new Maps application in iOS 6.

With two accurate, but separate, sources pointing to a September 12 event, we have no reason to believe otherwise. Of course, Apple could change the date between now and then. But for right now, all systems seem to be a go.

In addition to an all new iPhone, Apple is widely expected to unveil a smaller iPad and some new iPod products this fall. Whether those will all happen at the September event, or a separate one at a later date, still remains to be seen.

Update: for what it’s worth, The Verge is reporting that its sources have also confirmed the September 12 event date.

Update 2: The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple has added his weight to the proposed September event date with his usual confirming “Yep.” Jim was Macworld’s editor at large for several years and is known to have sources deep inside Apple. We suggest you mark your calendars.



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