PCB Points to Sept iPod

Compeq Manufacturing has won a contract to begin making the printed circuit boards for upcoming iPods, according to reports from those close to the Taiwan company. The firm has allegedly signed its first deal with Apple and will begin producing small numbers of rigid-flex PCBs destined for the music players in August, with full-scale production to begin in September. Compeq is also said to have been validated for producing both the boards and some of the interconnects for the iPhone, shortlisting the company as a candidate for expanded iPhone production or as a backup.

Successfully obtaining the contract will dramatically improve the company's production over the summer, the insiders claimed. Compeq itself has turned down commentary on its orders but says that the rigid-flex boards that Apple and others will use should boost the percentage revenue by more than 50 percent during the summer. The number of handset boards should also climb by 5 million units, the unofficial sources observed, though whether this included iPods was unknown.

The move if confirmed may represent a significant departure for Apple, which has not relied on Compeq for parts in the past and is so far reported to almost exclusively rely on Japanese companies for the circuit boards in the current, US-only iPhone. No indications were given as to whether or not the boards for new iPods were significantly different from those of existing models.

By Electronista Staff