Sony expands camera operations to likely supply Apple with front-facing iPhone cameras

Sony is positioned to dramatically increase its sales of CMOS cameras to Apple for use in an unreleased iPhone, Nikkei Asian Review reports. Sony already supplies most of the rear-facing iSight cameras shipping on iPhones today, and as the report suggests, negotiations between Sony and Apple to double the amount of CMOS sensors supplied points to Sony also providing the sensor for the front-facing iPhone camera…

The latest hardware offered on the iPhone 5s features an 8MP camera for taking still photos on the rear side, while the current front-facing camera captures 1MP. Opting for Sony to supply both sensors could suggest a focus on improving the quality of the FaceTime camera on future devices.

The report backs up its claim with information that says Sony has ramped up its infrastructure to support the increase in sensor production:

    A request from Apple was the reason for its January decision to purchase a plant from Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics, according to a source involved in the negotiations. Sony plans to invest 35 billion yen in the facility to boost its monthly production capacity by 25%.

The report also notes Sony has provided batteries for Apple’s iPad Air marking an increase in components Sony provides for Apple’s hardware.

Previous reports have suggested Apple’s next-generation iPhone will retain the same 8MP rear-facing camera, instead focusing on further improving the optics at the current megapixel resolution.

Improving the front-facing sensor rating could help market the camera system if the next iPhone retains a similar rear-facing camera. What do you expect from Apple’s next iPhone camera system? Read our thoughts in the Community and let us know in the comments.

- 9to5mac.com

Next iPhone reportedly sports a larger screen and sapphire crystal display

Apple is preparing to release not one, but two new versions of the iPhone in September, according to the South China Morning Post. Each version will ship with a larger display than the iPhone 5s, coming in at a whopping 4.7″ and 5.5″, respectively. The displays are said to have a pixel density of 441ppi, much higher than the current 326ppi found in the iPhone 5 and later.

The report also states that both displays will be made from sapphire crystal, which fits with recent reports that Apple is planning to have its latest sapphire plant in Mesa, AZ operational in February for a “critical” product component. The displays will also be flat, not curved, the Post says.

Finally, the report indicates that the iPhone 5c will be removed from the lineup when the iPhone 6 is released, while the 5s will stick around but be made from cheaper materials.

- 9to5mac.com

Could this be our first look at the much larger iPhone 6?

Update: These appear to be fake…

Sonny Dickson has posted images today which claim to show the casing for the next generation iPhone. The metal shell, which closely resembled both the industrial design of the current iPod touch and iPad Air, appears to be of unibody construction. While it’s impossible to verify the legitimacy of these images at this time, they provide an interesting look at what Apple might be planning.

We’ve been hearing reports that the next iPhone will feature a larger, sapphire crystal display, and these images support those rumors, sporting what looks like much larger casing. The report also hints that the current iPhone 5s may stick around, but be manufactured out of cheaper materials, alongside both 4.7 and 5.5″ iPhone models. But what does that mean for this shell?

We’ve got lots more images in the full gallery below:

Here’s an extremely rough mockup of the iPhone 5′s casing superimposed over Dickson’s image, showing possible size differences between the two cases.

Next generation iPhone rumors have varied far and wide at this point, with the WSJ claiming Apple is testing prototype 4.7 and 5.7″, or even 4.8 to 6″ iPhone displays, while Bloomberg has noted Apple may be planning on larger, curved displays. Of course, at this point, we’re still 8 months or so out from a new iPhone, and Apple tests a wide variety of designs, so it’s very likely things could still change quite a bit.

- 9to5mac.com