This article includes Apple (AAPL) and OmniVision (OVTI).
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy and confusion regarding cameras in Apple (AAPL) products. After the introduction of Apple’s iPhone 4S, the controversy reached a frenzied pace. iPhone 4S has an advanced camera like no other phone. Not a day goes by without a rumor or proclamation from a self-appointed expert regarding the CMOS sensor in iPhone 4S.
CMOS stands for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor. CMOS technology is used in semiconductor image sensors in the cameras in Apple products and other digital cameras. In layman’s terms, an image sensor is simply the replacement for film in analog cameras.
Apple had been previously using image sensors from OmniVision Technology (OVTI).
When OmniVision released OV8850 8-megapixal backside-illuminated (BSI), it was considered that OmniVision had won the race for cameras for smartphones.
Conventional sensors are front-illuminated. The light has to travel through circuit elements before it hits the photo diodes. Photo diodes are the surface where the light is received and an image is formed.
In a BSI sensor, the circuit elements are moved behind the photo diodes. This way more light reaches the photo diodes and less noise is created. If you have ever wondered why some cameras take a much better picture in low light, this is your answer.
As the chart shows, the investors’ fond hopes for OV8850 were reflected in the rising price of OmniVision. My average buy price, and presumably the buy price of the subscribers to ZYX Buy Change Alert, was $12.72. Partial… Read more…
