http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303544604576429292482910586.html http://blogs.computerworld.com/smartphones/20947/iphone-5-component-supply-chall enges-could-threaten-apples-empire http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120903PD220.html?mod=3&q=APPLE http://www.letsunlockiphone.com/iphone-5-components-price-list/ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/04/analyst-dismiss/ http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20110701PD216.

html Taiwan-based companies included in the supply chain for iPhone 5 and iPad 3 have begun to prepare materials for the production of the two devices, which are lik ely to make their debuts in September and to hit the market in October, accordin g to industry sources. Upstream component makers including Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Indus try), which is in charge of assembling the devices; Simplo Technologies and Dyna pack International Technology, in charge of manufacturing batteries; TPK Holding and Wintek, in charge of touch panel modules; Catcher, in charge of chassis; an d Largan Precision, in charge of webcams, are all expected to benefit from the o rders. http://cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_37799.html Taipei, Sept. 19, 2011 (CENS)--With production of Apple Inc. s iPhone 5 starting i n September, TPK Holdings Co. and Largan Precision Co. are expected to further d rive up their revenues in the coming months. TPK, Apple s major supplier of iPhone and iPad touch panels, scored sales revenue of NT$11.099 billion in August, slightly down 6.6% from the peak recorded in Jul y but sharply up 101% from a year ago. The company s chief financial officer Fredd ie Liu attributed the better-than-expected revenue mainly to strong shipment of touch panels for use in iPhone 4, and implied that models for iPhone 5 have been heavily shipped this month. Driven by the upcoming iPhone 5, Liu mentioned, the company s sales revenue for th e third quarter of this year is very likely to further grow from the second quar ter to hit a record high, with gross profit rate to reach between 17% and 18% du ring the period. Hopefully, the company s single-quarter sales revenue will peak i n the fourth quarter of the year, when the blockbuster will land in the global m arket. Also benefiting from iPhone 5 set for production, Largan, the supplier of lens m odules, finished August with sales revenue of NT$1.467 billion, up 6% from July and 25% from a year earlier to hit a new high for the fifth consecutive month. T he company confirmed that the revenue growth was mainly led by increasing shipme nt of 8-megapixel lens modules, a higher-end product also adopted in iPhone 5. Institutional investors projected that 8-megapixel lens modules will significant ly increase in the third quarter to command nearly a 20% share of the company s ov erall shipment, serving as a business drive for the months to come. Therefore, t he company is expected to further push up its third-quarter revenue for a 15% gr owth compared to a record high of NT$4.065 billion achieved a quarter ago.

(by Steve Chuang)