Speaking in an interview with Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal, Sony CEO Howard Stringer made several comments that suggest the company will be supplying the image sensor for the iPhone 5. CNN reports that Stinger was discussing earthquake damage to Sony’s factories in Japan, and off-handedly said that a camera sensor made in one of those plants is being adopted by Apple, while adding that the sensor would be delayed due to the damage caused during the disaster.
It “always puzzles me,” said Stringer. “Why would I make Apple the best camera?” As Sony is not known to produce any cameras used in current-generation Apple products, it stands to reason that the sensors in question are meant for a future product.
The report states that since Stringer mentioned the company’s best camera, it is likely an eight-megapixel unit; it also cites an analyst report from February that suggested OmniVision might lose out on supplying cameras for the iPhone 5, as their eight-megapixel sensor wouldn’t have been ready for the iPhone 5’s rumored mid-summer launch.
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