back to article Sharp's slim screen factory 'flogged to death' by Apple

Sharp's production line of screens – purportedly for Apple's next-generation iPhone – is reportedly running behind schedule. The moribund Japanese display-maker, which has never admitted to having Apple as a customer, said at the start of this month that its LCD plant in central Japan, a factory widely known to churn out gear …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ..."purportedly"...."reportedly"...."unnamed source"....

    That's a whole lotta rumours with not very much fact.

    "This is less news and more like gossip", said an anonymous poster source familiar with TheRegister site...

    1. jai

      And it's only going to get worse as we get closer to the 12th Sept. and more and more rumours flood the press.

      1. ThomH

        Even the 12th is a rumour, isn't it? So this could go on a lot longer than that.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Best response I have seen. Sadly it sums up a lot of The Register these days - it's click bait for advertising. It is going the way of Tech Republic, CNET etc, who do the same... it's a race to the bottom...

      They know that there are some companies that, whatever they write about them, will get a lot of views and a lot of people arguing over.

      So it's a case of 'Apple might do this, Microsoft might do that, Google could possibly do this' with a geezer type attitude.

      It's not really a technical site, it's more like an amateur Fight Club. Very amateur at times. It's sad, as once it was really worth paying attention to the articles.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Sooooon

      Apple advertising will secretly release a picture do a cardboard box with a label that says 'iPhone 5'' and release it as a leaked photo to the press saying a guy who works for a guy in the shipping department........

      Says that they have not processed as many shipments as they expected.

      This leads the fanbois to a terrible feeling of shortages so that as soon as the item is released for sale everyone wants them.

      What they don't tell you is that they have another 20 warehouses full of the stuff.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

    I, as one who appreciates gratuitous offence and other such flame-inducing social shrapnel, welcome this sort of writing.

    1. HMB

      Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

      I own a Galaxy Nexus because I think it's better than an iPhone 4S and I'm offended by that line too.

      I've never even bought Apple gear and I'm offended.

      I guess it comes down to how you want to treat people for having different priorities than yourself.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

        Yes, but keep in mind that flames = ad impressions. In that context, an inflammatory headline makes great business sense for El Reg. If you want such headlines to stop, don't click or comment on them

        1. HMB

          Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

          Sadly I think I have to agree with you.

          It's probably just rose tinted glasses, but the Reg seems to be getting worse for this.

          The other day they were going on about a Samsung Cameraphone that wasn't even a phone. I sent a correction (assuming innocent mistake) but got no reply.

          You can only sell your name off once. Once your rep has gone, it's so hard to get back.

          I fear that one day I will stop reading the Reg, start reading the Sun and realise that I've gone up a notch in intellectual maturity.

          1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

            Re: Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

            "It's probably just rose tinted glasses, but the Reg seems to be getting worse for this"

            I'm not sure I can imagine a Reg that isn't rude about a large corporation. If you want to understand where the Apple teasing comes from, bear in mind that a number of Reg hacks are Apple users and we've suffered and enjoyed Cupertino kit over the years.

            Plus, have you seen how much Apple charges for RAM? How is that not a tax?

            "The other day they were going on about a Samsung Cameraphone that wasn't even a phone"

            Which one was that? Did you mean the Samsung SH100 camera-with-Wi-Fi? There's no mention of it being a phone :-)

            C.

            1. DaLo
            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

              Apple RAM has been blessed, so it's bound to be more expensive. It costs money to make it holy and worthy of use.

              1. Raz

                Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

                So correct. Same for hard drives in Dell servers. The garden variety of 500 GB, 7200 rpm SATA drive can be had for $70 everywhere, except when it's added to a Dell server, where it's $250. Hey Reg, when can I see an article about the Dell tax?

                I could not care less, but 1) you cannot order a Dell server without a hard drive, and 2) to get any hard RAID controller, you have to buy at least 2 drives. Thank $deity that Dell does not know that I want to use 8 drives in that machine, otherwise I would have paid double for an entry level server.

            3. Rafael 1
              FAIL

              Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

              "I'm not sure I can imagine a Reg that isn't rude about a large corporation."

              I think you're not really paying attention to the comments.

              One thing is to be rude to companies, which is sort of expected in El Reg, even when the "rudeness" is no more than silly nicknames for the companies ("chocolate factory", "foxconn rebrander", etc) repeated ad nauseam. Some were funny the first two or three times but now are just plain annoying. I have the feeling that some "news" were just excuses to use those nicknames.

              Another very different thing is being rude to the readers, regardless of their preferences (or degree of preference) for a brand. Not only it is not funny but immature.

  3. Big_Ted
    Devil

    And so it begins........

    Apple start the hype to ensure long ques outside the stores for the press to report on....

    Stage 2 will be a non rebuttal from Apple not saying there isn't a shortage but also not saying there is.

    Amazingly within a week the "shortage" of iPhones will "magically" in a "revolutionary" way disappear and box loads will be available everywhere they are on sale.....

    Cynical me ? Never...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

    i presume, this being el Reg and not das Bild, that there is a hidden meaning to "idiot" in this phrase.

    1. Hans 1
      Headmaster

      Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

      DIE Bildzeitung, aka Bild .... not das ....

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Devil

        EXPOSED! El Reg and El Bild: two faces of the same coin?

        The color scheme is the already same, rumor-mongering and strong opinionating may tend to asymptotic equality...

        But back to the subject: why is the whole world in a S&M relationship with the Fruity Firm From Cupertino?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: EXPOSED! El Reg and El Bild: two faces of the same coin?

          15% or so market share is the whole world? I think a better question would be why is everyone so fond of Google when they are just as evil.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Facepalm

        Re: "Cupertino idiot-tax giant"

        mea culpa :). not reading it (I'm more the die Zeit reader).

  5. werdsmith Silver badge

    Integrated Costs

    Integrated LCD panel and touch screen means no more cheap touch screen digitiser replacement repairs for dropped phones. Could be done for a tenner on the old phones.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Integrated Costs

      Don't drop your phone or insure it?

      Why does everyone assume that everything they own must be repairable. Have you repaired the ECU on your car engine recently?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Stop

        Re: Integrated Costs

        Perhaps not, but it would be unreasonable to have to change the whole wheel every time you need new tyres.

      2. circusmole
        Happy

        Re: Integrated Costs

        ...Have you repaired the ECU on your car engine recently?...

        Well yes, actually. Cost me £60 + Postage to get it repaired, instead of £650+VAT for a replacement :-)

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Integrated Costs

        "Why does everyone assume that everything they own must be repairable."

        You see, /this/ is why the fanboi's get ridiculed.

        "Idiot tax", QED

      4. M Gale
        Facepalm

        Re: Integrated Costs

        "Why does everyone assume that everything they own must be repairable."

        Go away, sit in a dark room somewhere for a while, come back and re-read that sentence.

        Then slap your face with your palm.

        I've just repaired someone's MG ZR, literally just yesterday. It would have cost them a shedload of money to get a broken keyfob replaced, without which the ECU would point-blank refuse to start the car. It took me 10 minutes with a soldering iron on some broken battery contacts, and 30 seconds pressing a reset-my-shit button sequence on the keyfob while stood next to a blaring car alarm. Cost effectively nothing.

        I'm sure you'd rather this person just go to a dealership and get raped for a new dongle by people quick to spot, and apply taxes, to idiots.

  6. g e
    Meh

    Yields

    Now I'm not one to say 'told you so' but...

    Well. Actually I am.

    Are Sharp the only guys that can do the sensor-in-pixel thing?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Badvok
      Trollface

      Are Sharp the only guys that can do the sensor-in-pixel thing?

      Well Samsung's Super AMOLED screens also have the sensor built-in. Though since these pre-date Apple's in-pixel thing and work differently, expect Apple to sue Samsung for copying this soon.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Fiddly screens?

    You mean like for small components? You need child like fingers then surely? Cue Foxconn making screens for Apple too, allegedly obviously, because none have ever been found but then no one checked the chimneys did they?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Fiddly screens?

      "You need child like fingers then surely?"

      Maybe. But as at Wintek, you'll need little fingers attached to a central nervous system that has not been irreparably damaged by n-hexane.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lordy, who'd be a component supplier for Apple, doesn't seem to be doing Sharp much good.

    Maybe they shouldn't innovate for them so much for so little return ;)

  9. Saoir
    FAIL

    "Sharp's slim screen factory 'flogged to death' by Apple"

    What kind of cretinous headline is that ?

  10. Paul Hovnanian Silver badge
    Trollface

    Sharp is busy ...

    ... filling that big new Samsung order for phones that don't violate US patents. Apple will just have to wait.

  11. NogginTheNog
    Coat

    Woofers n tweeters

    Don't Sharp make hifis (well we used to call 'em music centres back then) anymore??

    1. Steve Todd

      Re: Woofers n tweeters

      No, HiFi and music centres were never the same thing. Yes, Sharp still make HiFi components.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Woofers n tweeters

      A music centre is like a sideboard with a gramophone in it. These never meant the same thing as hi-fi.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    am I feeding the troll if the troll wrote the article?

    I went shopping for MP3 players - it seems they still make them - the other day. As far as I could tell, Apple's stuff was price-competetive and possibly feature-superior - and definitely -experience- superior. The iPod Nano really is beautiful, and the screen has double the pixel density of other stuff. It's just beautiful.

    And it was the only one that i instantly knew how to use. I kind of made some gestures out of instinct and they all did what I expected - or wanted. Even if the devices had been more expensive than their direct competition, it would have been for a real feature - or several.

    In the end, I got a Sansa Clip. I'd had one before so I know how to use its abomination of a user interface, it charges and loads off a micro hdmi (no others seem to now) and has physical buttons, custom eq, and exponential ffwd: useful for dj mixes.

    The biggest deciding factor was itunes, not so much due to itunes itself but due to the fact that I use multiple computers and don't want to be forced into a single 'library'.

    But: it's a different product class. The iPod made the other similarly-priced devices - which probably suffer from most of its vices - look clunky and feel uncomfortable. The fact is that it comes down to feature set, not quality overall. People who act sancimonious seem to do so because they think everyone does - or SHOULD - care about the same things they do.

    Well, it ain't so. Sorry. You're entitled to your own opinions but not your own facts, and it just ain't true that Apple customers get the same product for a higher price. They simply value things differently.

    1. Raz

      Re: am I feeding the troll if the troll wrote the article?

      Overall I agree with your post, but you knew how to use the iPod because you had similar devices before or you have seen other people using it. Even Apple's interface is something that has to be learn. Is it easier to learn that other UIs? Sure. But it's not something that you don't need to get familiar with.

    2. lindt
      Trollface

      Re: am I feeding the troll if the troll wrote the article?

      I do believe you forgot to select the troll icon when posting. I'll supply one for you.

  13. Joseph Lord
    Facepalm

    Won't be the first time Sharp has failed to deliver panels

    The joint venture with Sony for TV panels fell apart as they under delivered both in quantity and quality.

    Sony had to switch back to their main competitor Samsung for panels, I wonder if Apple will do the same.

  14. gujiguju

    Hedge Fund short-selling

    Behold the symbiosis between click-baiting tech media, anonymous sources and Apple short-sellers.

    http://duckduckgo.com/?t=ous&q=Jim%20Cramer%20stock%20manipulation%20

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