8-megapixel iSight camera with True Tone flash
We’re not sure how many of you guys know this, but the camera sensor found on Apple’s iPhone lineup have largely been made by Sony. Granted the software, algorithms, and other components might not be Sony, but the Japanese company does play a vital role all the same, which is why despite Sony’s smartphone sales not doing as well as they’d like, at the very least they’d get to profit from Apple’s sales.
As you might have heard, Apple recently claimed to have sold a whopping 61.2 million iPhones in the last quarter, which means in turn Sony gets to profit from Apple’s success too, so much so that the Japanese company has recently announced plans to invest $375 million into its image-sensor business. This is on top of the $900 million the company announced that they would be spending this year.
While Sony did not divulge how much they would make from Apple per order, analysts have estimated that each iPhone Apple makes, $20 would go to Sony as revenue. Right now it seems that Apple uses two sensors, one in the front and one in the back. Prior to this there was only one sensor from Sony which was used in the rear camera, but apparently the selfie trend has seen the demand for better quality front-facing cameras.
In some ways this reminds us of the relationship Microsoft has with Android OEMs. Despite Microsoft and Android OEMs creating competing phones with competing platforms, and with Microsoft not doing as well as the competition, the Redmond company still walks away a winner thanks to the royalties Android OEMs have to pay them for use of their patents.