Foxconn and Sharp Enter Partnership to Advance LCD Technology

[MacRumors]

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.




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.

Article Link: Foxconn and Sharp Enter Partnership to Advance LCD Technology

[2bikes]

Paving the road towards an iTV (which will not be called iTV)?

[shartypants]

That's great, retina for MacBook Pro please!!

[camnchar]

Hopefully this will decrease Apple's reliance on Samsung somewhere down the line.

[Rudy69]

Retina 27" iMac.... I can dream can't I?

[BeachChair]

I'm sure Apple are happy about this. They seem to have taken a liking to Sharp. It is their hedge against Samsung.

[SBlue1]

i want less power consumption, more ppi and thinner displays.

[kyjaotkb]

Retina display for all Mac products !

I'm quite understanding they didn't go with OLED just now - I think the technology still needs to prove itself :
- viable (no anticipated death of blue subpixels)
- and color-realistic (photo pros use the Mac a lot, it would be a PITA to sell them over-saturated OLEDs on their computers)...

Meanwhile my dream Apple TV would have a Plasma panel... Like that of the Panny VT50. I guess that's just a dream...

[fruitycups]

Wirelessly posted

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

[lilo777]

Originally Posted by BeachChair

I'm sure Apple are happy about this. They seem to have taken a liking to Sharp. It is their hedge against Samsung.

Yeas, because Foxconn can really help Sharp improve their LCD technology, right? Foxconn is only known for labor intensive low tech assembly lines.

[realeric]

LG got $1 billion pre-order from Apple (yesterday news), Foxconn invested $0.8 billion in Sharp(today news). What will be the tomorrow's news?

[basesloaded190]

Originally Posted by fruitycups

Wirelessly posted

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

Samsung is fine. They aren't going anywhere.

[sk8ordie]

Originally Posted by 2bikes

Paving the road towards an iTV (which will not be called iTV)?

Yep, I smell an apple television set.

[Funkymonk]

Originally Posted by camnchar

Hopefully this will decrease Apple's reliance on Samsung somewhere down the line.

Samsung screens are superior to sharp and lg. I'm glad I have Sammy screen on my iPad.

[TheBronx]

Originally Posted by SBlue1

i want less power consumption, more ppi and thinner displays.

we can rebuild it, we have the technology

[tigress666]

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.

[GenesisST]

Originally Posted by BeachChair

I'm sure Apple are happy about this. They seem to have taken a liking to Sharp. It is their hedge against Samsung.

Yes, they will but some shrubs between them and Samsung!

[Macman45]

A Retina MBP? Would I? Probably, a 15" Retina would be very nice indeed, and the large 17" screen I have now would not be nesscary. This also seems to indicate that rumours of the itv, or whatever they choose to call it is becoming a distinct possibility...Intersting times.

[Wang Foolio]

Sharp/Samsung superiority depends entirely on the product.

People with Samsung screens in laptops/tablets/phones seem to be better off, but in terms of TV sized panels, my friends with new mid-high end Samsung models don't have nearly the same picture quality as my sister's two gorgeous Sharp Quattron TV's. Makes my 2010 Aquos look like garbage

[faroZ06]

Good thing I just sold my 30" Cinema Display!

[santaliqueur]

Originally Posted by Rudy69

Retina 27" iMac.... I can dream can't I?

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?

[bigpics]

Originally Posted by camnchar

Hopefully this will decrease Apple's reliance on Samsung somewhere down the line.

Yeas, because Foxconn can really help Sharp improve their LCD technology, right? Foxconn is only known for labor intensive low tech assembly lines.

Sharp? Samsung? Well we know what kind of threat Samsung poses to Apple as a direct competitor in multiple spaces, and they've a way to go, but have made strides, while Sharp poses little. However.....

....Looking down the longer road (and having seen what Asian "sub-manufacturers" who started off with "labor intensive low tech assembly lines" eventually did to many once American industries, e.g., TV, auto-making), I'm more and more concerned that Foxconn may turn out to be "the fox in Apple's henhouse."

He who lives by the outside supplier......

[BMNB1tch]

buh bye Samsung!

say hello to the neu appleTV!

[i8020]

Didn't Apple invest in Sharp plants last year?

Tim Cook was/is just visiting China ...

... wonder who was financing and forging this alliance?

[Exotic-Car Man]

There already is a new technology for LCD; it's called LED, and I believe LED displays are in every device that has a monitor/screen that Apple sells. Why doesn't Sharp concentrate on streamlining LED production to bring the price of that down? LED is still a relatively new technology that is pricy compared to LCD.