Sintek denies sampling projected capacitive touch panels for iMac, says spokesman
Barry Wu, VP and spokesperson of Sintek Photronics has denied reports that the company is sampling projected capacitive touch panels for Apple's iMac. — An October 1, 2010 report cited industry sources saying Sintek …
Context & Ripple Effects
Taiwanese panel makers have treated Apple touch orders as franchise wins since Wintek began shipping touch screens for new iPods in 2007, and Innolux was named a panel supplier for the then-unreleased Apple tablet in December 2009. Against that backdrop, an October 1 report citing industry sources claimed Sintek Photronics was sampling projected capacitive touch panels sized for Apple's iMac — which would have marked Apple extending capacitive touch from handheld devices up to a desktop product.
Sintek spokesman Barry Wu has now denied those sampling reports outright, and the iPad's pace — Bernstein Research put it at three million units in 80 days and about 4.5 million per quarter — explains why the rumor moved at all: every incremental Apple form factor implies a new pool of touch-panel demand that suppliers are competing to lock up.
First-order effects
- Sintek publicly severs the link between its name and unconfirmed Apple business, with VP and spokesperson Barry Wu stating the company is not sampling projected capacitive panels for the iMac — protecting it from expectations (and possible nondisclosure exposure) built on an unsourced October 1 report.
Second-order effects
- Suppliers with acknowledged Apple touch relationships, such as Wintek on iPods and Innolux on the tablet program, hold a credibility advantage over rivals whose Apple ties surface only as leaks followed by denials — so the rumor cycle itself reshuffles perceived standing among Taiwanese panel makers.
Third-order effects
- If desktop-scale capacitive panels ever enter Apple's roadmap, touch-panel demand would stretch across far larger glass than handheld volumes require, tightening capacity competition among Taiwan's display houses; until then, Apple's secrecy keeps its supply chain priced by leaks and managed through official denials rather than disclosures.
The trend: As Apple's touchscreen device line scales, its supply-chain rumors become market-moving events for Taiwanese panel makers, and spokespeople's denials become a routine instrument for keeping unannounced orders quiet.