iphone camera icon1Forbes notes that Apple's longtime camera sensor supplier for its iOS devices, OmniVision Technologies, today offered remarkably weak guidance for the current quarter, suggesting that Apple may indeed have shifted camera orders for the iPhone 5 to Sony.

For FY [Q2], the company sees revenue of $255 million to $275 million, and non-GAAP profits of 52-64 cents a share, well short of the Street consensus at $306.4 million and 82 cents.

The company gave no explanation in the release for the weak forecast; I would note that there has recently been speculation that the company may have lost some of its Apple business to Sony.

Reports dating back over a year have been going back and forth over whether OmniVision or Sony would be the camera supplier for the iPhone 5. As of early June, reports claimed that both companies would be supplying 8-megapixel camera sensors for the iPhone 5, but with OmniVision shouldering 90% of the load. But just a month later, an analyst claimed that production difficulties at OmniVision had resulted in the camera sensors destined for the iPhone 5 failing to meet Apple's required yield rate. As a result, Apple was said to be planning to shift to Sony for the bulk of its iPhone 5 camera sensor orders.

Top Rated Comments

monoskier Avatar
180 months ago
Steve Jobs loves competition and he has taken shots at Sony in the past in comparing the iPhone to the Nintendo re: game content. He is not about to hand his competitor a lucrative contract to make Sony parts for an Apple product. This is just insane speculation and Jobs knows that companies like Sony are waiting to eat his lunch.

I don't think Jobs would go with Sony when they are trying to come up with their own products to compete with Apple.

One word: Samsung
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wywern209 Avatar
180 months ago
Steve Jobs loves competition and he has taken shots at Sony in the past in comparing the iPhone to the Nintendo re: game content. He is not about to hand his competitor a lucrative contract to make Sony parts for an Apple product. This is just insane speculation and Jobs knows that companies like Sony are waiting to eat his lunch.

I don't think Jobs would go with Sony when they are trying to come up with their own products to compete with Apple.

just because steve jobs may have taken some shots at the gaming division doesn't mean that they won't make some deals with sony's camera division. a business does what it needs to do.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andyplace Avatar
180 months ago
The sensor in the current iPhone does have some undesirables --

-- The megapixel count could be higher if they don't want to look inferior in spec comparisons to other phones, (yes, I know megapixels don't matter at all and its all about the sensor and pixel size, but to the average consumer they kind of do matter...)

-- The "green-blob" problem under fluorescent/halogen light

-- The thickness of the sensor itself prohibits making a skinnier phone

-- It is a part that is expected to receive an upgrade each year to something better
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wikus Avatar
180 months ago
this whole megapixel-count race is idiotic. the higher the pixel count, the more noise the sensor produces in images. what the hell is the point of throwing more megapixels into a sensor when most people never need anything more than 8mp, and thats being VERY generous too;

how often do ANY of you print 8x10s? Rarely? I thought so. Now how often do any of you print anything LARGER than 8x10? Almost nevet? Good. Now that you absolutely dont need 8x10s all that much and definitely not anything bigger than tha especially from a PHONE camera, all of you will be happy to know that a 6mp camera will print an 8x10 JUST FINE at approximately 240dpi, which, past 240dpi, the human eye begins to have trouble seeing differences (at 300dpi and up, its nearly impossible to tell).

So while so many of you are crying for higher resolution, none of you (or us) seriously need it. We'd be doing JUST FINE with a 2-4mp camera sensor as even 2mp will print a 4x6 fairly well (3 is perfect for 4x6).

I say; bring down the resolution to 3 megapixels. Enlarge the sensor @ 3mp to today's standard size (physically) and that will eliminate all heat/noise issues and we can all enjoy DECENT quality photographs, thus eliminating the need to have a secondary camera.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theBB Avatar
180 months ago
How many people here need an i5 processor, or even an i3? Few? I thought so. Now how many people here would need an i7? Almost no-one. Good.
Fast processors are not required for most people. They just suck up loads of electricity and spit out heat.
All well and nice, except higher megapixel cameras do not necessarily have better quality. Often it is the opposite. In your example though, i7 is a better CPU than i5, which is better than i3.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0098386 Avatar
180 months ago
this whole megapixel-count race is idiotic. the higher the pixel count, the more noise the sensor produces in images. what the hell is the point of throwing more megapixels into a sensor when most people never need anything more than 8mp, and thats being VERY generous too;

how often do ANY of you print 8x10s? Rarely? I thought so. Now how often do any of you print anything LARGER than 8x10? Almost nevet? Good. Now that you absolutely dont need 8x10s all that much and definitely not anything bigger than tha especially from a PHONE camera, all of you will be happy to know that a 6mp camera will print an 8x10 JUST FINE at approximately 240dpi, which, past 240dpi, the human eye begins to have trouble seeing differences (at 300dpi and up, its nearly impossible to tell).

So while so many of you are crying for higher resolution, none of you (or us) seriously need it. We'd be doing JUST FINE with a 2-4mp camera sensor as even 2mp will print a 4x6 fairly well (3 is perfect for 4x6).

I say; bring down the resolution to 3 megapixels. Enlarge the sensor @ 3mp to today's standard size (physically) and that will eliminate all heat/noise issues and we can all enjoy DECENT quality photographs, thus eliminating the need to have a secondary camera.

How many people here need an i5 processor, or even an i3? Few? I thought so. Now how many people here would need an i7? Almost no-one. Good.
Fast processors are not required for most people. They just suck up loads of electricity and spit out heat.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...