Another iPhone supplier hit by Apple’s supply changes
The iPhone 8 is good news for various component suppliers who live and die by Apple’s orders. The device is expected to pack a bunch of new features that require specialized hardware — that’s why the phone is rumored to see launch delays of up to two months. But it appears that Apple is also shopping for other suppliers when it comes to smartphone components we’re used to seeing in today’s phone. And that means one more Apple suppliers will feel the pain of losing iPhone orders.
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According to Bloomberg, Bosch will manufacture some of the motion sensors that go into the iPhone, which means InvenSense will take a hit in the process.
InvenSense joins a growing list of suppliers whose revenue can be seriously affected by Apple’s business. Imagination announced that Apple will drop its GPU designs for the iPhone within two years. A report recently said Apple is developing its own battery management chip and dumping Dialog in the process.
Bosch may supply as much as half of the motion sensor Apple needs for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7s this year, with the other half left to InvenSense, which was the sole manufacturer of such parts for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.
Bosch also makes the barometric pressures for the iPhone.
The motion sensors include gyroscopes and accelerometers and are critical for any iPhone, including the iPhone. They let the iPhone tell how the user is interacting with the device and apps, how the phone is held, and monitor health-related activity.
InvenSense, however, saw this move coming. The company’s CFO Mark Dentinger said during an August investor conference that while it was dominant “by a considerable margin” at the top of the smartphone market, it wasn’t likely to keep that position.
Apple is known for seeking more than one supplier for the same component to make sure it has enough parts to go around and to get better deals.
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