Recently, the popularity of games is growing. There are three main reasons for this: the increased number of devices for this, the emergence of a large number of interesting games, and the fact that the whole world is currently stuck at home due to social distancing and forced self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic. People are increasingly looking for entertainment at home.
Demand for the Sony PlayStation 5 has shown that demand for gaming consoles is higher than ever today. It's likely that Apple wants to capitalize on this increased interest in handheld consoles. As reported WCCFTech, the Cupertino company is building its own portable game console. It will be similar to Nintendo and will receive a new generation chip.
Among the characteristics of the portable hybrid console, Apple names a proprietary chip with a powerful graphics accelerator, an efficient cooling system and support for ray tracing. It is possible that the company's laboratories are working on several prototypes of the console and exclusive games for Apple Arcade, for the creation of which they intend to involve the well-known game studio Ubisoft.
Whether or not Apple will eventually release a game console and when it might happen, the source did not say. This does not exclude the possibility that eventually the company will abandon the idea of releasing a new product. We will have to wait for details.
Apple switches to Korean components instead of Chinese ones
Apple has decided to expand cooperation with South Korean manufacturers that produce components for smartphone cameras. The reorganization of the supply chain was a forced measure due to the trade war between the US and China.
According to the portal Korea IT News, Apple should switch to cooperation with Korean manufacturers after breaking relations with the Chinese company Ofilm, which produces camera components. Last year, the US Department of Commerce blacklisted the manufacturer, after which Apple was forced to look for new partners.
У заяві 16 березня OFilm заявила, що “певна іноземна компанія” вирішила припинити партнерство з китайським виробником та його дочірніми компаніями. Хоча Apple не була названа безпосередньо, відомо, що OFilm отримала значну частку свого доходу від спільного підприємства, а після закінчення взаємодії продала виробництво камер китайської Wingtech.
До санкцій Apple отримувала компоненти камери від OFilm, Sharp та LG Innotek, а тепер вона повинна шукати нових партнерів у Південній Кореї. Крім найбільшого контрагента на ринку оптичних компонентів – LG Innotek, Apple, за чутками, вже веде переговори з деякими меншими виробниками, які виробляють датчики ToF, а також накопичувачі для фокусування оптики та інші модулі.
Usually, the company selects new partners very carefully. Typically, it takes two years to contact a contractor, obtain prototypes, assess their quality, test production, and analyze a potential partner's financial situation and capacity development plans.
