Takashi Okuda, president of Japanese multinational consumer electronics behemoth Sharp Corp., revealed at a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday that his company was ready to begin shipments of display screens by the end of this month.
Okuda’s announcement comes at the same time that rumors about the new Apple iPhone is heating up.
“Shipments will start in August,” Okuda said, according to Reuters. And if the dots do connect as they seem, we can expect to see a new iPhone on display by the fall, according to reports.
“People are expecting a new iteration of the iPhone to hit the market sometime in the September-October time frame, so this kind of comment fits in to what we’ve been hearing in the market, generally,” IHS analyst Vinita Jakhanwal told Wired.
Unfounded rumor, wildfire hype, and hopeless speculation have always trailed behind the release of Apple’s next cutting edge products throughout the murky span of time prior to their release, but when the inside scoop is leaked from big business itself, it’s difficult to resist the thought.
Still, while Sharp has been a known and viable distributor to Apple Inc. since last year, it remains only one of three suspected suppliers for the screens—along with LG Display Co Ltd and Japan Display Inc.
According to specs leaked to ETrade Supply on Friday, the new iPhone display is expected to reach a diagonal length of 4 inches, which, compared to the current 3.5-inch model on the iPhone 4S, boasts a considerable increase in size. The new lens will also be 0.1-mm thinner and features a number of other subtle adaptations and variations.
Sharp execs refuse to comment on their relationship with Apple, but we should know soon enough just how much water Okuda’s statements hold.
