14 DAY TRIAL // SurfaceInk, a company that has done engineering design work for multiple tech companies, including Apple, has been scrubbed off the list of partners by the Cupertino-based Mac maker.
SurfaceInk has roughly 50 employees, and a so-called turnkey business. The business revolves around creating products or technologies and licensing them to others.
They had nearly a decade of collaboration with Apple.
This particular pillar of SurfaceInk’s business, which began five years ago, apparently lead to Apple severing ties with the company, according to a report by The New York Times.
The paper, which also distributed a version of the story in print on August 27, 2010, notes that SurfaceInk kept its relationship with clients mostly through word of mouth.
However, in June 2010, the company showed off a prototype 12.1-inch tablet during an electronics trade show.
SurfaceInk’s design capabilities were viewed as a potential competitive threat, according to Eric Bauswell, a founder and chief executive of the engineering design company.
Bauswell confirmed on Thursday that his company and Apple had “gone separate directions.”
Citing client confidentiality agreements, the exec declined to offer additional details.
He did outline that SurfaceInk was no longer an Apple partner because of “Apple’s growing awareness of our turnkey capabilities.”
The exec was referring to SurfaceInk’s business of designing products for its clients, according to the NY Times.
“I think they view our capabilities as an opportunity for competitors, “ he said.
As expected, Apple declined to comment.
Launched in April, Apple’s iPad is currently the dominant tablet computer, with Apple shipping millions of units to date.
However, Apple is facing immense pressure from competitors who’ve reviewed their options and are planning to introduce their own take at the tablet PC.
In moving away from SurfaceInk, Apple is likely ensuring that competitors don’t become aware of its next move.