Tim Cook Admits That iPhones Use Sony Camera Sensors (theverge.com) 76
Tim Cook has tweeted an admission that Apple uses Sony image sensors in its iPhones as part of the CEO's supplier tour of Japan. "We've been partnering with Sony for over a decade to create the world's leading camera sensors for iPhone," Cook tweeted, and thanked Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida for showing him around the Kumamoto facility. The Verge reports: Apple largely keeps tight-lipped about the specifics of the hardware components that go into each iPhone, so outright confirming that it's used Sony camera sensors for over a decade is notable. Apple's website tends to just list the specs of each iPhone's camera -- such as resolution, aperture, and field of view -- rather than the specific components used. But hardware specifics have tended to matter less in the age of computational photography.
Tim Cook's visit to Sony's facility suggests this partnership isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and a recent report in Nikkei Asia offers some clues as to what the companies are working on for future iPhones. Sony is said to have developed a new image sensor that uses a new semiconductor architecture to capture more light and reduce both over- and underexposure. The new sensor is expected to feature in Apple's next generation of iPhones, but will also ship to other smartphone manufacturers.
Tim Cook's visit to Sony's facility suggests this partnership isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and a recent report in Nikkei Asia offers some clues as to what the companies are working on for future iPhones. Sony is said to have developed a new image sensor that uses a new semiconductor architecture to capture more light and reduce both over- and underexposure. The new sensor is expected to feature in Apple's next generation of iPhones, but will also ship to other smartphone manufacturers.
They're A Supplier (Score:2)
This doesn't mean Apple doesn't do much of the work in designing them. Simply that Sony produces them. Much like Apple designs their A-series chips, and then TSMC produces them.
Re:They're A Supplier (Score:5, Informative)
This doesn't mean Apple doesn't do much of the work in designing them.
Sony is the world's leading *designer* of sensors. Not just a supplier. Apple have employed a massive team dedicated to designing A-series chips, based on technology they licensed, and a 3rd party to manufacture them. These relationships are nothing alike.
Apple would bring literally nothing to the table in designing a sensor, and basically all of the innovation of cameras (in general, but especially on phones, and specifically for Apple) happens on the image processing side.
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And yet, the iPhone camera very frequently outperforms other phone cameras in numerous 3rd party tests. If your claim is true then Apple utilizes a unique sensor that Sony does not make available to other phone manufacturers.
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Apple paying Sony to build them custom sensors isn't shocking. Custom work happens all the time in almost every industry. I don't understand why this article is news or interesting in any way. Did anyone believe Apple designs and produces every part in their phones??? Did Apple ever claim that???
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The article is clickbait to drive ad traffic. Apple has never hidden the fact they use numerous suppliers. They don't act as if they produce things themselves in their own factories. It's been open for years that Foxconn, Samsung, TSMC, Corning, and many others supply the parts that go into their products. It wasn't some secret. The Verge just looks to make everything into some drama in order to drive more traffic.
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Ugh, slashdot inching its way into the grave.
Re:They're A Supplier (Score:5, Insightful)
Apple charges a premium price for their phones, they can afford to pack them with premium components and software. And they might outperform others in some tests, but compared to devices in the same price bracket they appear to be pretty closely matched to each other. At the moment, I prefer the still images coming from the Galaxy S22 (which I believe also uses at least one or two Sony sensors), but it's so close that I believe the camera might be one of the the least relevant factors while deciding between devices.
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All high end phones use a handful of Sony sensors. Your choice is mostly what software you want.
Samsung - more saturated/sharpened
Apple - err on the side of caution, almost always ready to post directly to Instagram
Google - very realistic, the best night shots
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And yet, the iPhone camera very frequently outperforms other phone cameras in numerous 3rd party tests. If your claim is true then Apple utilizes a unique sensor that Sony does not make available to other phone manufacturers.
No, my claim holds just fine if you read the last line of my post. Apple has rightfully good innovation that gives their cameras excellent quality. It has nothing to do with the sensor.
A sensor is a single component of a camera, which is a highly complex piece of gear made of multiple electronic components and a world of image processing on top. I had the same sensor in my DSLR which couldn't take a photo for longer than about 15 seconds without turning into noisy garbage as I had in my astronomy camera whi
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There's a huge amount of post-processing the software does with the raw images. It's entirely possible for two cameras using the same sensor to produce dramatically different looking pictures.
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iPhones do OK in camera tests, but nothing special given their high prices. Google Pixels tend to do better, especially at comparable price points.
https://www.dxomark.com/smartp... [dxomark.com]
bro (Score:1)
Re: They're A Supplier (Score:2)
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This doesn't mean Apple doesn't do much of the work in designing them.
Sony is the world's leading *designer* of sensors. Not just a supplier. Apple have employed a massive team dedicated to designing A-series chips, based on technology they licensed, and a 3rd party to manufacture them. These relationships are nothing alike.
This also tends to help explain why Sony oddly took the silent stance with marketing on this. Sony could have easily requested to have their logo still imprinted or at least advertised somewhere (like the Gorilla jumping up and down about his amazing glass) to reinforce brand recognition and sell Sony product.
But since they see themselves as nothing but a leading designer of sensors on the manufacturing side instead of a globally recognized brand in photo imagery, I guess they don't mind the grey man OEM a
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That and the brandless NDA check was probably a lot fatter.
Not and, that's the whole story. Apple's not about to have anyone else's name on their phones, Sony doesn't care so long as they get paid. They make plenty of stuff to put their name all over.
Re:They're A Supplier (Score:5, Interesting)
No. It's not an Apple thing. Component manufacturers don't get their names put on any products unless the designer of the product thinks that there is some marketing advantage. Sony is a component manufacturer in this case, nothing more. There are 100s of components from many different vendors in a typical phone.
And Sony don't put their name on Nikon cameras either (despite those sensors being used) and Panasonic didn't put their name on the Olympus EM-1 despite that being who made that sensor.
Canon fanbois love pointing out how Canon make their own sensors, but not as much as everyone else loves pointing out that no one gives a shit about who makes what inside.
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No. It's not an Apple thing.
Point to where I said it was only Apple doing it. Is this really the best you can do?
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Point to where I said it was only Apple doing it. Is this really the best you can do?
You replied to someone who asked why Sony hasn't put the name on and specifically mentioned Apple wouldn't allow it. That is disingenuous at best completely sidestepping that it is an electronics industry wide practice not to do it. Clearing the matter up wasn't the best I could do, but it seems to have worked, people visiting the site will get reality rather than your jaded view of the situation highlighted. Complaining that you were called out on what you implied is childish.
You have no one to blame for y
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Major product uses one of the top 3 manufacturers of camera sensors . . . film at 11
"its good, Sony guts"
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They have been the grey man OEM since the begining. You don't see Sony's branding on Nikon cameras either (also use Sony sensors) or Panasonic's name on Olympus EM-1s for that matter.
Phones have 100s of 3rd party manufactured and designed components in them. It's far more important to design these components to work together and to use them in the best possible way, than whose name is on the component itself.
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But since they see themselves as nothing but a leading designer of sensors on the manufacturing side instead of a globally recognized brand in photo imagery
This isn't true, at least not with cameras anymore. With the demise of traditional DSLRs, Sony's own mirrorless digital cameras (specifically the Sony A7 series) now hold the leading position "sweet spot" previously occupied by Canon / Nikon -- that is, the highest quality, most popular full-frame dedicated cameras available at reasonable price points
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Not really. Sony's camera business may operate in a sweet spot for consumers but they are not brand leaders by any stretch of the imagination.
Incidentally I'll take a Nikon Z series any day over a Sony camera, and say that knowing fully well there's a Sony sensor in it. There's more to photography than a sensor.
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Same way I know when someone is a vegan. They will tell me. Apple has never touted the innovation they bring to sensors, yet they scream from the mountaintops when they even have the idea of potential future innovation in something.
Apple is buying millions of sensors so Sony could modify their sensors for someone buying that volume.
I'm sure Sony is producing a specific part for this. It's a pretty damn large sensor for the application. That doesn't mean there's any innovation being brought.
Look sensors are sensors, there's no clever design, there's no advanced computational theory. Sensors and the technolog
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Same way I know when someone is a vegan. They will tell me.
1) Except you are talking about Sony and Apple not a vegan. Apple does not discuss many things with the press. And Sony as most suppliers do not disclose everything about their products to the public. 2) You are talking about details of a collaboration that you expect Sony and Apple to publicly announce because . . . vegan do it.
Apple has never touted the innovation they bring to sensors, yet they scream from the mountaintops when they even have the idea of potential future innovation in something.
By your logic, the lack of public confirmation means something cannot exist. Especially from a company known for their secrecy . . . sure.
I'm sure Sony is producing a specific part for this. It's a pretty damn large sensor for the application. That doesn't mean there's any innovation being brought.
Again my point is you cannot know that App
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1) Except you are talking about Sony and Apple not a vegan.
You seem to be proud about missing the point. Or not paying attention Apple's modus operandi, not sure which. Apple doesn't discuss things with the press? Which universe are you from? Most of the time we hear about supplier related news while products are still in development.
Look you clearly have no idea what Apple does and doesn't do, what their core competence are, and what goes into a sensor or electronics design. You're acting like a fanboi who is upset that Apple doesn't do everything themselves. It's
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You seem to be proud about missing the point.
You seem to be denying reality. Pointing out that you don't work for Apple nor Sony and cannot possibly know what happens behinds the scenes seems to have you inventing scenarios.
Or not paying attention Apple's modus operandi, not sure which. Apple doesn't discuss things with the press?
That's your strawman tactics. I said: ". Apple does not discuss MANY things with the press. MANY is the word you seem to ignore. Apple does not discuss how much profit each product makes. Apple does not discuss which products are being developed in detail. Apple discusses when they are close to release. They do not discuss EVERYTH
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"The new sensor is expected to feature in Apple's next generation of iPhones, but will also ship to other smartphone manufacturers." -if they can sell to other phone manufacturers then you can be sure Sony owns the sensors.
Huh? (Score:2)
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Why is it news worthy that Apple buys camera sensors from Sony?
This perplexes me. The titles in multiple articles say "admit" as if this is some kind of a major scandal that the world's number one producer of camera sensors produces sensors for the iPhone.
The iPhone is full of literally 100s of components sourced, designed and produced by others.
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...people on this platform that sit in their underwear in front of their computer all day in their parent's basement in Wisconsin
You're free to project whatever construct you desire... but for your sake, I just hope the object of your fixation isn't wearing tighty-whities.
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Just a clickbait article. It's well known that they utilize multiple suppliers. Just as they have Samsung produce their screens. They're made to Apple's specifications but I don't think anyone believes they manufacture everything themselves and Apple certainly doesn't act like it's some secret.
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Apple fanboys will certainly insist that only special snowflake Apple-designed and made stuff goes inside the iphones, unlike the plebeian Android phones that are full of 3rd party garbage
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Apple fanboys will certainly insist that only special snowflake Apple-designed and made stuff goes inside the iphones, unlike the plebeian Android phones that are full of 3rd party garbage
What makes you think that?
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Ah yes. The differences between a tall Musky leader and a lowly Cook, to fully frame this Elon fanboi fantasy featurette.
That Elon. He kinda gets places. His Tesla Roadster has already circled the sun. (And we thought we were cool when we went all the way to London.) Elon's Gulch I hear is about a Mars fortnight away from where the rovers play. He claims it's quite Boring, but he sure seems excited enough about it. Almost as if he dug into a tax haven or something.
And yeah man. Musk factories are fu
But does he (Score:2)
fuck the shit out of bears? [youtube.com]
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RTFS. The news is not that Apple buys their sensors from SONY, but the fact that Tim Cook disclosed it, which is very rare from Apple. They usually don't disclose the manufacturers of their components.
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RTFS. The news is not that Apple buys their sensors from SONY, but the fact that Tim Cook disclosed it, which is very rare from Apple. They usually don't disclose the manufacturers of their components.
Neither do most other manufacturers, or do other smartphone manufacturers call a press conference every time they source a chip or some other component from a new supplier? This is literally less than a nothing burger in terms of tech news.
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Not saying it's anything newsworthy. Just pointing out the fact that the story is about Apple disclosing it.
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I know. It still is not the point. The point is that Apple disclosed it, which they almost never do.
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Admits? (Score:5, Informative)
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Well, they have to jazz up an otherwise perfectly uninteresting non-story.
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it's not really a surprise to anybody that Apple doesn't manufacture its own cameras. It has to get them from somewhere. This is true of most of the hardware in the phone. Even their processor (that they designed) is manufactured by someone else.
Using a word like "admits" in the headline is a move you'd expect to see in a tabloid at the grocery store. Is this what slashdot has become?
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Admits, like it's some sort of guilty secret? What a load of tosh.
Indeed, only the most rabbit of Apple fanboys know that Iphones, like every other phone, is made up of parts made by other manufacturers. It's just common sense not to try to re-invent the wheel (badly) when you can buy professionally made wheels from wheelmakers with decades of experience for a fraction of the cost.
This is an area where the free market shines.
However try explaining that to a fanatic. Next they'll be shocked that Apple buys RAM from someone like Hynix instead of crafting their own in
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Sony is the only option for really high end image sensors in sizes small enough for phones. There's no other company for Apple to buy, and starting from scratch would take a very long time and likely not produce anything better.
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came here to say the same
although it could have been even more tabloid-y if they'd used 'confesses' instead
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Scandalous! Shocking!
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I thought they used children eyes.
Why is this guy being unfairly modded down? This is common knowledge.
Sony knows sensors (Score:2)
Yes, because Sony also sells components! (Score:1)
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So cameras in iPhones are not magical, but comparable with the competition. Apple fanbois are still in denial.
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The myth of "better cameras" of iPhones (Score:3)
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But ... but ... as he told us:
"this is our most advanced camera ever".
Clickbait as usual (Score:2)
Of what possible fucking use to anyone is that information which was previously known (other than making Dicedot suck more)?
Sony Floppy Macintosh (Score:1)
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You can read about that story here [folklore.org]. Steve Jobs was a total control freak - it's like the Mac managed to happen in spite of Jobs in a number of ways.
Oh the shame of it all! (Score:2)
Some years ago... (Score:2)
It's not an admission (Score:3)
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I've seen multiple articles run the "admits" headline. This isn't an issue of one person, it's just the usual clickbait bullshit.
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I've seen multiple articles run the "admits" headline. This isn't an issue of one person, it's just the usual clickbait bullshit.
But as a journalist, you are the only one responsible for the headline above _your_ publication. If others use "the usual clickbait bullshit", then it's your decision of you want to do the same bullshit or not.
What is "admit" supposed to mean? (Score:2)