SEOUL, KOREA – Apple has opted for two touch screen panels (TSP) for its iPhone 5S. Though the iPhone 5S mainly comes with an in-cell TSP LCD, Apple has decided to use ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) glass TSPs for iPhone 5S models bound for China and other regions. This is the first for Apple to change the parts of a model for specific markets.
Apple’s display partners, LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp, will next month embark on the production of 4-inch in-cell TSP LCDs for the iPhone 5S. Apple also requested its Taiwanese partners including TPK and Wintec to produce 4-inch ITO glass TSPs.
An industrial insider estimated, “Chinese consumers complained that they frequently experienced service disruptions while playing mobile games on the iPhone 5. With the Chinese smartphone market growing in importance, Apple had to get off its high horse to live up to Chinese consumers’ demands.”
Some say Applp’s such flexible market approach has stemmed from much slower-than-expected sales of the iPhone 5. Apple initially planned to sell over 200 million units of the iPhone 5. However, the iPhone 5’s product perfection fell short of customers’ expectations.
As for Apple’s LCD partners, sluggish sales of the iPhone 5 have also come to a head. LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp planned to churn out 6 million units per month from the beginning of this year. Yet, the monthly production for January and February languished at about 3 million per month in each company.
Apple seems set to offset the shock of tepid sales of the iPhone and woo its disgruntled partners by advancing the launch of the iPhone 5S. Chinese media forecast that Apple will release the iPhone 5S through China Mobile between June and July.
Sean Chung (hbpark@etnews.com)
**Article provided by etnews [Korea IT News]
[Reference] : http://english.etnews.com/electronics/2715655_1303.html
