Sharp Now Producing 'Adequate Volumes' of iPhone 5 Display

Reuters reports that Sharp has publicly stated that it is now producing "adequate volumes" of the display for the iPhone 5, bolstering Apple's efforts to catch up with high demand for the device.

Sharp Corp is making "adequate volumes" of displays it is known to supply for Apple Inc's new iPhone5, a company executive said, indicating that a possible bottleneck in supplies of screens may have eased.

Analysts had blamed a shortfall in supplies of display for leaving Apple with too few iPhones to meet burgeoning demand at its launch this month.

sharp logo
Deutsche Securities analyst Yasuo Nakane estimates that Japan Display and LG Display are capable of producing roughly eight million displays per month each, while Sharp's capacity is pegged at six million displays. With Sharp reportedly having not been ready for the initial batch of iPhone 5 units, over 25% of display production capacity appears to have been offline until just two weeks ago.

Sharp's full production of the iPhone 5 display comes as existing shortages in Apple's first round of launch markets are being compounded by today's expansion to 22 new countries and several more carriers in existing markets.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Allegedly Refer to 'iPhone 17 Ultra' Model

Friday March 14, 2025 7:56 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone rumors over the last few years, you may remember reading reports that Apple flirted with the idea of introducing a super high-end "Ultra" model that would either replace its Pro Max device or sit above it in Apple's smartphone hirearchy. These reports appeared in the pre-launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumor cycles, but ultimately came to nothing. Now though, the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

iOS 19 to Have Some of the 'Biggest' Design Changes in iPhone's History

Sunday March 16, 2025 10:35 am PDT by
Apple is planning some of the "biggest iOS and macOS redesigns in its history," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman reiterated that iOS 19 will have a visionOS-like design with more transparent interfaces:The new interfaces will adopt the design principles introduced in visionOS, the software for Apple's Vision Pro headset. That includes greater...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

Ultra-Thin 'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Include These 12 Features

Saturday March 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
apple surveyor app

Apple Launches 'Surveyor' App for Apple Maps Data Collection

Friday March 14, 2025 10:38 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new app called Surveyor, which is designed to allow users to collect data like images of street signs and roadside details to improve Apple Maps. The app is not public facing and appears to be for use with companies that Apple partners with to assign mapping tasks. Downloading the app and opening it up directs users to "Open Partner App" to choose a task. Tapping on...
Apple Intelligence Comes Under Fire Feature

Apple Reassures Siri Team Members Feeling Disappointed and Embarrassed by Apple Intelligence Delay

Friday March 14, 2025 11:45 am PDT by
Apple is reassuring employees on the Siri team who may be feeling demotivated by the recent Siri delays and the bad press surrounding the company's decisions, reports Bloomberg. In a Siri team meeting, Apple senior director Robby Walker acknowledged that employees might be feeling "angry, disappointed, burned out and embarrassed" following the Siri delay, but he praised the hard work of...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
Sad Siri Feature

Kuo: Cook Should Personally Address Siri Apple Intelligence Failure

Thursday March 13, 2025 4:02 pm PDT by
Apple made a major misstep with the way that it handled the delay of Apple Intelligence features for Siri, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. Announcing the delay through a press statement was a bad decision, and Apple should instead have gone through official channels. Kuo referenced the well-known "Antennagate" PR crisis when the iPhone 4 launched in 2010, and the way that then Apple...

Top Rated Comments

JGowan Avatar
163 months ago
Apple needs to break free as far from Samsung as possible. I believe this to be a very positive thing as Samsung needs to stand under their own merits, free from profits due to Apple's success. Not only for screens but ram and any other component Apple needs to make its products. Everything needs to come from other suppliers. I know that Samsung does a good job, but I'm sure that other companies can grow in order to supply great parts in the volumes that Apple needs.

Any money Apple eventually gets from the courts ($1.04B or triple damages on that number) is nothing compared to the thumping Samsung will get with Apple showing Samsung completely to the door. Which, I think, is exactly the thing that needs to happen.

Samsung,... Google. You boys are no longer invited to play with Apple.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Prallethrin Avatar
163 months ago
This is probably one of the most ignorant posts I have had the pleasure or reading. Apple is being stupid in breaking from one of the best Nand, LCD, and Mobile CPU producers on the planet. Your iPhones are going to be filled with 2nd/3rd tier products with higher failure rates. I guess if you like traveling multiple times to the apple store when your phone fails that is fine, but personally when I spend that much money on a phone/laptop I expect it to have the best quality parts on it. Not 2nd/3rd tier, because they feel they need to throw a fit.

If you think their suppliers they are going to be using aren't bad. Look up Hynix that is your new Nand producer, look at sharp for your lcd, and I don't even want to delve into who they are going to have make their CPUs. ROFL Global foundries was thrown around and they are atrocious.

Oh please. Samsung isn't some magic company that is the only one to be able to create "high quality" components. There are many factors involved in component sourcing, e.g. Price.

Samsung can do it cheap that's why Apple buys from them. And cost partly comes down to economy of scale. By supporting Samsung's rivals Apple is helping them "power up" in industrial capacity and with more revenue they can up their R&D as well - hire better engineers etc.

It's win-win for Apple as it gives them more suppliers to source from and competition between them will force down the price and drive innovation. It also give Apple more leverage as they can dump whoever displeases them and go to their competitor.

Oh and Sharp is quite a big player in LCDs with many patents to their name. They have been in trouble lately due to the high Yen - and low domestic demand for TVs. The iPhone 5's display is the best iPhone display yet, if not the best mobile display ever apart from the newest iPad - http://www.displaymate.com/Smartphone_ShootOut_2.htm

----------

Samsung/Sony are the best, their joint venture has made stunning results. Sharpe always have bee and always will be second rate, just like LG.

As for other components. The less said the better.

So people are happy to sacrifice quality and Apple to start using suppliers that were too *iss poor to win contracts the first time round?

Well if they're that ***** thick then let them be ripped off even more, paying the same price for a 3rd rate device.

Ha. Sorry, IPS > PVA in most cases especially in colour accuracy.

Sony has bailed on the jointed venture and has started using Sharp panels.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JGowan Avatar
163 months ago
Apple is not an Island onto itself. They cannot do everything. But they do need to stop relying on companies that steal their products, like Google and Samsung.
You said what I wanted to say in a much more concise manner. Thanks.

You're right... Apple needs partners. Trustworthy partners that can be counted on to supply and not steal!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BimmerJP Avatar
163 months ago
Good! I love sharp TV/display. I think :apple: made a good choice there :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redbotsoftware Avatar
163 months ago
Apple needs to break free as far from Samsung as possible. I believe this to be a very positive thing as Samsung needs to stand under their own merits, free from profits due to Apple's success. Not only for screens but ram and any other component Apple needs to make its products. Everything needs to come from other suppliers. I know that Samsung does a good job, but I'm sure that other companies can grow in order to supply great parts in the volumes that Apple needs.

Any money Apple eventually gets from the courts ($1.04B or triple damages on that number) is nothing compared to the thumping Samsung will get with Apple showing Samsung completely to the door. Which, I think, is exactly the thing that needs to happen.

Samsung,... Google. You boys are no longer invited.

Apple is not an Island onto itself. They cannot do everything. But they do need to stop relying on companies that steal their products, like Google and Samsung.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Prallethrin Avatar
163 months ago
[/COLOR]

Apple wouldn't be where they are today without Samsung.

Same can be said about Samsung. >.>

They profited quite a bit in the relationship with Apple. They decide to sabotage it. /shrug I sure there are many other companies quite willing to take their place.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)