“Robert Bosch GmbH has won orders from Apple Inc. to supply the next iPhone with some of its motion sensors, according to a person familiar with the deal, a potential blow to InvenSense Inc., currently the main supplier of those smartphone components,” Alex Webb and Ian King report for Bloomberg.
“The change — hinted at by InvenSense’s finance chief in August — comes as the San Jose, California-based maker of motion-sensing chips seeks to complete its $1.3 billion sale to TDK Corp., a deal partly aimed at boosting the Japanese company’s business with Apple,” Webb and King report. “InvenSense shares declined more than 5 percent in extended trading Thursday.”
“Bosch may supply as much as half of these components for the new iPhone, with InvenSense supplying the rest, the person said,” Webb and King report. “Bosch already supplies barometric pressure sensors for the iPhone, according to product teardowns by iFixit and other firms that analyze the guts of gadgets… Apple accounts for about 60 percent of InvenSense revenue, according to Bloomberg supply chain analysis.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote last month:
Investing in suppliers who are heavily dependent on Apple’s business is it’s own special thrill ride.
Bosch is a monster unlike some of smallish companies Apple has been pushing around.
Bosch has many divisions, but almost every Fuel Injection system on every brand of car is either a Bosch system or licenses their technologies, for example. A couple of miles from where I type this Bosch has a massive warehouse for Skil, Dremel and other tool brands it owns. Bosch employs almost 400,000 people worldwide. It posted revenue of €73.1 billion last year.
Great company to work for, great company to work with, and they make great stuff.
Apple’s diversification in tech is a defensive maneuver but seems unwilling to diversify away vis a vis Samsung.