Foxconn and Sharp Enter Partnership to Advance LCD Technology

Sharp today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Foxconn/Hon Hai Precision, seeking to stabilize its own financial situation and fund investments to continue pushing LCD technology forward.

Foxconn is of course Apple's primary manufacturing partner for many of its products, while Sharp was reportedly responsible for the Retina display technology in the new iPad. But production difficulties at Sharp have resulted in the company delaying its entry into the supply chain for the iPad display as Samsung and LG have ramped their own production.

Looking at the business environment, Hon Hai Precision Industry, the key company of Hon Hai group, saw Sharp's LCD technology with high reputation, and decided to procure ultimately up to 50% of large-size LCD panels and LCD modules manufactured at the LCD panel plant in Sakai-city, Osaka, Japan. The LCD panel plant will be mutually managed by one company set by partner companies.

In addition, this partnership allows each company to establish a new business model, combining each company's strength, to launch cost competitive component and products fit to market demand by utilizing Sharp's potential for the development of one-of-a-kind components and products with Hon Hai group's mounting technology and cost competitiveness.

Sharp and various Foxconn-related entities will split Sharp's existing ownership share of the cutting edge LCD plant in Sakai, while Sony will retain its 7% stake in the plant. On the corporate side, Sharp is issuing over 120 million new shares that will give Foxconn-related entities a roughly 10% ownership stake in Sharp with their investment of over $800 million.

foxconn sharp logos
While Apple is not directly related in the partnership developments, closer ties between Foxconn and Sharp could help speed and streamline the development and adoption of new technologies that could make their way into Apple's products.

Top Rated Comments

camnchar Avatar
146 months ago
Hopefully this will decrease Apple's reliance on Samsung somewhere down the line.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
santaliqueur Avatar
146 months ago
Retina 27" iMac.... I can dream can't I? :eek:

Funny, I already have one. At a normal viewing distance, my eyes are unable to resolve individual pixels.

Amazing, isn't it? Or is it that "retina" depends heavily on viewing distance?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
basesloaded190 Avatar
146 months ago


Not good for samsung. They need to get their act together.

Samsung is fine. They aren't going anywhere.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SBlue1 Avatar
146 months ago
i want less power consumption, more ppi and thinner displays.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tigress666 Avatar
146 months ago
Heh, I've always liked Sharp.

Unlike some people on here, I'd feel much better if Apple used Sharp over Samsung. But not cause of all the sue case, I just like Sharp products better. In general with their stuff I've always had good experiences with quality and longevity as well. And honestly Samsung products for some reason always seemed to me to be second tier products when you didn't want to pay top dollar. Where as Sharp you seemed to get as good as top dollar but since they didn't have quite the name you didn't pay it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rudy69 Avatar
146 months ago
Retina 27" iMac.... I can dream can't I? :eek:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

google drive for desktop1

Google to Roll Out New 'Drive for Desktop' App in the Coming Weeks, Replacing Backup & Sync and Drive File Stream Clients

Tuesday July 13, 2021 1:18 am PDT by
Earlier this year, Google announced that it planned to unify its Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync apps into a single Google Drive for desktop app. The company now says the new sync client will roll out "in the coming weeks" and has released additional information about what users can expect from the transition. To recap, there are currently two desktop sync solutions for using Google...