Bloomberg: Apple planning to develop in-house camera sensors for future devices

Apple’s quest for the perfect integration of hardware and software is reportedly going to extend well beyond just developing the ‘A’ series and ‘M’ series of processors for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has a reputation for supplying reliable insider information, Apple has plans to move the design of many more of its hardware components in-house, including camera sensors.

While not mentioning any specifics, Gurman does make note of the increasing importance of photo and video capability in smartphones – to the extent that it’s become the major differentiator between successive iPhone generations. Meanwhile, the importance of cameras for Apple continues to extend in upcoming applications like mixed-reality devices and autonomous driving systems.

In the current era of computational photography, sensors are equalled, if not surpassed in importance, by image signal processors and AI-based algorithms, of which Google’s Pixel phones are an excellent example. Apple, over the last decade or so, has been using sensors from Sony, the largest producer of image sensors in the world. However, it has certainly demonstrated its ability to elevate performance to new levels using its own hardware, and will very likely be able to do the same with cameras.

Camera sensors aren’t the only component Apple is seeking to bring under its umbrella. Gurman also mentions a cellular modem, a WiFi and Bluetooth chip, microLED displays, a non-invasive glucose monitoring system for the Apple Watch and batteries. For most of these, work has been underway for several years, and in some cases also faced delays.

Even as Apple pushes the boundaries in photography, most recently, with the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, the pressure of competition remains from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+ and S23 Ultra, as well as the newly released Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, all known for their excellent cameras.