14 DAY TRIAL // Companies like Furukawa Electric, Chaun-Choung Technology, Auras, and TaiSol Electronics are likely to see their profits soar this year, as Apple, Samsung, and HTC are looking into their offerings.
Specifically, the iPhone maker is reportedly interested in their ultra-thin heat pipes.
DigiTimes says all three smartphone vendors have been mesmerized by the technology, suggesting Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5S/iPhone 6 could adopt it.
“Since the conventional graphite plus foil cooling method is no longer able to dissipate enough heat in modern smartphone models efficiently, after 4G becomes a common transmission specification for smartphones in the future, the heat problem is only expected to become worse,” reports the Taiwanese trade publication.
It names some of the cooling module “players” currently able to produce the goods for the demands of Apple, Samsung, and HTC.
These include Taiwan’s Chaun-Choung Technology, Auras, and TaiSol Electronics, as well as Japan’s Furukawa Electric.
All players are developing 0.6mm heat pipes, but their yield rates are somewhere at 30%, the sources said, adding that they’re working around the clock to improve their production.
One smartphone seller is reportedly already using the heat pipes. NEC’s Medias X06E, which uses a 4.7-inch 1280 by 720 OLED display, and a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 4 processor, employs a 0.6mm heat pipe to stay cool. Apple is expected to introduce one or more iPhones this year, including a cheaper (budget) version of the popular handset.
A number of prominent analysts in the tech industry have said that Apple plans to introduce its regular incremental iPhone 5S upgrade this year, leaving the iPhone 6 for early 2014.
There’s also a good chance Apple will jump straight to iPhone 6 this time around.
Apple needs some revolutionary new hardware to stay ahead of the game as competitors like Samsung keep chipping away at its market share.