Amazon’s first Kindle smartphone may be delayed until later this year as the company tackles production problems with manufacturing partner Foxconn, supply chain sources have revealed. The retail giant was hoping to launch the device during the second quarter of 2013, but it’s now unlikely to enter mass production until June.
Sharp has this morning announced a ¥10.4 billion ($112 million) investment from Samsung that will provide the latter with a 3% stake in the company. It makes Samsung the biggest individual shareholder in the Japanese display maker, and secures its access to Sharp’s LCD panel supplies.
The investment comes at a time when Sharp has been struggling. The company received a $4.4 billion bailout from the banks in October 2012, and its iPad display orders from Apple were recently cut as consumer demand shifted to the smaller iPad mini, which Sharp is not involved with.
The iPhone 4S loses its crown to the enemy.
The Samsung Galaxy S III, this year’s hottest Android handset, has overtaken the iPhone 4S to become the world’s best-selling smartphone. One in every nine smartphones sold during the third-quarter of 2012 were Galaxy S IIIs, helping Samsung ship an estimated 18 million units during the three-month period.
Its first generation Kindle Fire hasn’t even launched hit store shelves yet, but already Amazon has the Foxconn factory in China knocking up its successor, the Kindle Fire 2, with plans to ship the device during the first half of 2012.
