Palm Pre Manufacturing Details Published

Posted By: Ryan Kairer Wednesday, March 18, 2009 12:48:20 PM

Palm Pre Manufacturer Digitimes has revealed the companies that will be responsible for manufacturing the Palm Pre and its internal components. In an article posted yesterday on flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) makers in Taiwan they report:

Taiwan-based Chi Mei Communication Systems will undertake OEM production of the Palm Pre, Palm's next-generation smartphone that will be launched soon. Chi Mei is likely to source handset FPCBs from fellow suppliers, including Career Technology, Ichia Technologies and Flexium Interconnect, with shipments expected to begin in March at the earliest, indicated the sources.

Chi Mei Communication Systems is a is a majority-owned subsidiary of Foxconn International Holdings, Ltd. The company is based in Taipei, Taiwan and specializes in mobile technology design and manufacturing.

Permalink |

Article Comments

(7 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

March?

cstamper @ 3/18/2009 1:33:17 PM #

"with shipments expected to begin in March at the earliest, indicated the sources. "

So March is halfway over - are they shipping yet?

RE: March?

SeldomVisitor @ 3/18/2009 1:36:05 PM #

They have yet to decide what companies are going to be making their flexible printed circuit boards, yet they are going to be shipping Pres within the next two weeks.

Damn! Those Taiwanese ODMs are GOOD!

RE: March?

D Avis @ 3/18/2009 6:56:55 PM #

"March at the earliest" refers to the shipment of the flex boards to the assembler, Chi Mei, which is a subsidiary of Foxconn. It is clearer in the original Chinese.looks like assembly in late April which means there could be stock sufficient to launch as early as late May. But Chinese trade press has been talking about shortage and problems with the screen maker of the screens the Pre will use and the flexible boards are less complex and have multiple makers.

RE: March?

SeldomVisitor @ 3/19/2009 3:45:46 AM #

Article this morning in Digitimes names a flexible printed circuit board maker firmly:

== "...Taiwan-based flexible handset PCB maker Career Technology will
== begin shipping flexible PCBs (FPCBs) to a smartphone vendor in the
== North America market starting this month..."

I'd say the hardware side of the Pre has been finalized now.

RE: March?

SeldomVisitor @ 3/19/2009 3:47:34 AM #

[wish we had edit]

Actually, now that I think about this - what smartphones are made in the US?

Maybe there's just a translation gaff and this article actually should read something like "...for a smartphone vendor in the North American market...".

RE: March?

Rastick @ 3/19/2009 7:08:17 AM #

Ha Ha Ha Ha...

Even Apple with their ultra-high margins, doesn't manufacture in the USA, even though they could afford to.

RE: March?

D Avis @ 3/19/2009 10:24:34 AM #

There are multiple circuit boards in the Pro and multiple makers for those boards named for the Pre: Career; Ichia and Flexium. They will be shipping boards to the assembler, Foxconn's Chi Mei, between late March and mid April. In an optimistic scenario there could be good stock in the US by late May. Palm would probably flash roms here in the States, there are facilities to do this in mass numbers very quickly. This is great news, we may see release as early as Mid June.

Account

News Higlights

Latest Comments

My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST((SELECT/**/CASE/**/IS_SRVROLEMEM
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST((SELECT/**/CASE/**/IS_SRVROLEMEM
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST((SELECT/**/CASE/**/IS_SRVROLEMEM
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000
My comments --1' OR UNICODE(SUBSTRING((SELECT/**/ISNULL(CAST(db_name()/**/AS/**/NVARCHAR(4000