14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s supply chain is undergoing a few more changes, with DigiTimes reporting that the company has tapped a new OEM for iPad mini production, as well as two new battery vendors for a “new-generation” iPhone model.
The story in question revolves around Apple’s decision to further reduce its reliance on Foxconn by tapping Taiwan-based ODM Wistron to assemble iPad minis.
Apple has reportedly sent in the troops to evaluate Wistron’s factories, “and has qualified Wistron for OEM production of iPad mini,” according to supply chain sources in Taiwan.
Wistron declined to comment, but Taiwan’s DigiTimes notes that this manufacturer will only begin to fulfill Apple’s orders in 2014 or 2015 at the earliest. In other words, Wistron will probably assemble the iPad mini 3 as its first order from Apple.
Wistron’s primary expertise is to make notebooks, but it also makes smartphones, which means Apple might consider giving it more work in the future (i.e. for MacBooks and iPhones) if the iPad mini orders pan out as expected.
However, a more interesting bit is mentioned in the same report. According to the same sources, “Apple has selected two Taiwan-based notebook battery pack makers to supply battery packs for use in a new-generation iPhone, the sources indicated.”
The correlation may or may not be obvious, but it appears that Apple is suddenly interested in having its iPhone and iPad parts manufactured by notebook makers.
The sources didn’t name the vendors, nor would they say anything about the actual capabilities of the battery cells.
However, any new-generation iPhone employs a perfected battery, and we can expect the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6 to adopt a higher-capacity cell.
Apple is also rumored to have prepared a cheaper version of the iPhone for deployment this year.