Apple has allegedly cornered the glass capacitive touch panel market, prepaying for 60 percent of the world’s entire capacity in 2011.
The move will leave many other companies fighting for the remaining 40 percent, which is expected to cause component shortages throughout the year and delays.
Apple has reportedly prepaid suppliers Wintek and TPK $3.9 billion for long-term contracts, enough money to cover 136 million iPhone displays or 60 million iPad 2 displays.
Gigaom explains that Apple has done this before:
Prepaying for a bulk, long-term contract allows Apple to control pricing, causing scarcity in the market, which raises the prices of remaining component stock. Apple’s pre-bought parts then give it a price advantage when it comes to production costs, and one that could grow as the contract progresses. It’s something Apple’s been known to do in the past, specifically with NAND flash memory in 2005.
Apple can successfully make moves like this because their devices (as history shows) are almost guaranteed to sell, and sell well. iSuppli is expecting 44 million iPad/iPad 2 tablet sales in 2011, after the company sold 14.8 million in 2010. Even the most radical analyst expectations in 2010 had sales at 9 million.
Result for: flash memory
itrans has posted a supposed leaked picture of Samsung’s upcoming (but still unconfirmed) Galaxy S2 smartphone, along side a spec sheet that should impress everyone.
Please note that the picture may just be a mock up and the specs are all speculation so take this as rumor for now.
The new Galaxy smartphone has a tentative release date of the Q1 2011.
Spec sheet:
4.3” 1280×720 resolution Super AMOLED 2 display
Android 2.3 (at least)
2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM/4GB ROM
32GB of built-in flash memory, 32GB expandable microSD card slot
8MP camera with FullHD video recording
A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n
3.5mm audio jack
Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity and ambient light sensors
Result for: flash memory
Although the Microsoft store and many retailers have had the motion control system priced at $150 for some time, the company had refused to confirm the price, officially.
Today, the mystery is no longer a mystery, as Microsoft has confirmed the official price is in fact $150. The system will ship November 4th as leaked, and will come bundled with “Kinect Adventures.”
Additionally, Microsoft has launched a new slim model of the Xbox 360, which will replace the current Xbox 360 Arcade model.
The new system will have 4GB of internal flash memory and matte finish and will launch August 3rd for $200.
As a bundle, you can get the new slim system and Kinect (with ‘Adventures’) for $300.
Kinect games will sell for $50.
