From EETimes:

SAN JOSE, Calif. - At present, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is making the Apple-designed A4 and A5 processors on a foundry basis for Apple Inc.

That could soon change. As reported, Apple and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) have entered into a foundry relationship for the A5 and follow-on chips, sources said.

Now, according to an analyst, another player is pursuing Apple's foundry business: Intel Corp. Intel is already supplying x86-based processors for Apple's PC line. Intel is also dabbling in the foundry business and has recently struck a deal with Achronix Semiconductor Corp.

''Based on a number of inputs, we believe Intel is also vying for Apple's foundry business,'' said Gus Richard, an analyst with Piper Jaffray & Co., in a new report.

...

Samsung, as reported in earlier posts, is currently in a multi-jurisdictional IP battle with Apple, perhaps its largest customer.

 

Previous coverage:

• Samsung v. Apple: Calculating the Time (for a Re-exam)
• Why Did Samsung Assert a Stylus Patent Against Apple?
• Bloomberg: Samsung Broadens Patent Dispute Against Apple With U.S. Lawsuit
• Samsung counter sues Apple over iPhone, iPad
• Apple v. Samsung: The Multi-touch Patent
• Flashback: Macworld 2007: "...and boy, have we patented it."
• Apple v. Samsung: Design Patents & Egyptian Goddess
• WSJ: Apple Files Patent Suit Against Samsung Over Galaxy Line of Phones and Tablets

Most coverage of Apple's patent filings focuses on finding hints of upcoming product features.  Sometimes, though, we see a hint of Apple's attention to detail in sourcing, manufacturing, and assembly.

In publication 20110069511, we find a technique for separating LEDs based upon their white points, then ordering them during assembly such that the overall backlighting for the display produces a desirable average white point.

The end result?  Apple can presumably maintain a tighter tolerance on overall display white point while accepting a lower tolerance on the individual LED backlights.   The looser tolerance would likely lower the cost of the component LEDs.

1. An LED backlight method for display systems comprising:

• receiving a plurality of light emitting diodes categorized into a plurality of bins, wherein each bin references a separate range of white point colors; and

• determining an optimal order for mounting the plurality of light emitting diodes at spatially distributed positions, the plurality of light emitting diodes comprising white point colors associated with separate bins, 

• wherein the optimal order of the plurality of light emitting diodes produces a light of a desired white point color when the light outputs of the plurality of light emitting diodes are mixed.