Come 2025, Apple may adopt a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for its next-generation MacBook notebooks, which will be powered by its upcoming M5 chip.
Per noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in his latest investor note on Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company will mass produce the CCMs in Vietnam, and provide a complete imaging system integrated into a compact form factor for the new notebooks.
To date, the primary supplier of camera modules for Apple’s current notebooks are LG Innotek and Sharp. Kuo has noted that given Apple’s optical component supply chain, only Sunny Optical can simultaneously supply both CCM and lenses in a single package. Should these shipments for the upcoming MacBooks go smoothly, Kuo predicts that Sunny Optical could also become the new CCM supplier for future iPhone and iPad models.
Apple is rumored to be planning to update its 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 in late 2024, and the high-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also expected to see a late 2024 refresh with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is also said to be working on a thinner version of the MacBook Pro, and the move towards the ultra thin 2024 iPad Pro could serve as a model for the company’s upcoming design philosophy.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.