Sales of Omnivision slipped as there have been unconfirmed reports that Apple has selected rival Sony as the supplier of the next iPhone camera sensor. Omnivision is the current provider of the iPhone 4's camera, which is able to take 5-megapixel stills and 720p HD video recording; the front camera is limited to VGA resolution.

However, analysts are doubtful that Apple has already begun finalizing suppliers for the next generation iPhone release after the iPhone 4, let alone select a rival to supply parts. Sony is a direct rival to Apple in the PC and home entertainment market, making Microsoft-based PCs and home theater PC (HTPC) systems, and its joint venture with Ericsson makes Sony Ericsson a rival to Apple in the smartphone space; Sony Ericsson has in the past used Android and Symbian operating systems.

In any case, if Sony was selected as a vendor for the next camera, that would not be a bad move for Apple's customers as Sony Ericsson makes some excellent camera phones. With Apple's software tweaks and great hardware choices, hopefully we'll see better image capture quality.

(via: Electronista)