Taiwanese supplier TSMC has delivered the first batch of Touch ID fingerprint sensors for several Apple products, including the iPhone 6, second-generation iPad Air, and third-generation iPad mini, supply chain sources claim. The sensors are
reportedly being assembled by TSMC subsidiaries Xintec and Suzhou Crystal Semiconductor. While the rumor is hard to verify, Apple is likely receiving parts in preparation for mass production, since its flagship products -- iPhones and iPads -- are due to refresh in the fall. Reports have also indicated that Apple intends to
expand use of Touch ID beyond the iPhone.
A Taiwanese publication, the
Commercial Times, meanwhile claims that Pegatron has received 15 percent of Apple's orders for a 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The company is expected to continue producing the iPhone 5c and 4S in the interim. It's forecast that Pegatron will manufacture a total of 50 million iPhones by the end of 2014, a significant jump from the 35 million it assembled in 2013.
To handle the extra work, Pegatron is
said to be moving some production to a new facility in Kunshan. As for the remaining 85 percent of iPhone 6 units, the
Times hasn't made any suggestions, but those will presumably be churned out by Apple's main manufacturing partner, Foxconn.
Another unmentioned item is Apple's rumored 5.5-inch iPhone. That device may end up shipping months after its 4.7-inch sibling however, since multiple reports have pointed to production delays.
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