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Friday 28 December 2018

Sony to boost 3D camera sensor production after increased interest from Apple: Report

Sony is said to be boosting the production of its next-generation 3D sensors after receiving interest from customers including Apple Inc. The chips will power front and rear-facing 3D cameras for various smartphone models in 2019. Sony kick-started the mass production in late summer to meet demand, according to Satoshi Yoshihara, head of Sony’s sensor division. Satoshi, however, has declined to provide sales or production targets but said the 3D business is already operating profitably and will make an impact on earnings from the fiscal year starting in April. The company has started providing software toolkits to third-party developers, so they can experiment with the chips and create apps that generate models of faces for communication or virtual objects for online shopping. Satoshi Yoshihara, who has worked for more than a decade on wider industry adoption of cameras in smartphones in a statement said: “Cameras revolutionized phones and based on what I’ve seen, I have the same expectation for 3D. The pace will vary by field, but we’re definitely going to see the adoption of 3D. I’m certain of it." Huawei Technologies Co. is employing Sony’s 3D cameras in next-generation models, according to sources. Yoshihara said that Sony’s technology differs from the ‘structured light’ approach of ...