Foxconn to ship 24 million units in 2010

May 17, 2010 12:37 GMT  ·  By
Leaked images of Apple's iPhone 4G reveal a new prototype that is closer to production
   Leaked images of Apple's iPhone 4G reveal a new prototype that is closer to production

A reliable source of leaks has been tipped off on the launch date of Apple’s next-generation iPhone, as well as on some of the parts making up the device, and their respective manufacturers.

The phone, dubbed iPhone 4G for now, will be unveiled to the public in June, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the report says. The company handling the assembly, Foxconn, has reportedly received orders for some 24 million units for 2010, 4.5 million of which are expected to ship in the first half alone.

Citing sources from Taiwan-based component makers, Digitimes senior analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that, “Foxconn will ship 24 million units of Apple's latest iPhone 4G with shipments starting in June,” the paper reports. “Foxconn will ship 4.5 million units in the first half and 19.5 million units for the rest of 2010. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 4G on June 7, 2010 during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference,” the analyst further revealed, according to the report.

Kuo added that, “The new device will adopt IPS (in-plane switching) panels with FFS (fringe-field switching) technology and a 960×640 resolution,” and noted that, “LG Display and Prime View International are the panel suppliers.” The report explains that FFS technology enables the user to view the screen from a wider angle, but also provides a clearer visual quality in sunlight. According to Digitimes’ analyst, “Apple is aiming to improve the handset's e-book reader features and promote its iBooks Store.”

The effort is coupled with a sharper resolution, which, according to the same source, “further widens the gap with Android-based smartphones, which provide 854×480 displays as the highest resolution offerings.” However, Apple’s aim here is likely only to provide customers with the best viewing experience current technologies offer, rather than to top competitor’s offerings.

It is also revealed that iPhone 4G will actually not employ the A4 chip Apple has equipped iPads with, but rather the Arm Cortex A8 processor. The device is said to have 512MB of memory thanks to a module developed by Samsung. Current-generation iPhones boast half that amount of RAM. The extra memory is said to be mainly for the multitasking features coming in iPhone OS 4.0.

Finally, the battery was to be supplied by Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology, Kuo said. The module is larger, thanks to the new iPhone's touch panel that is 33% thinner than in previous iPhone versions.