Different component suppliers mean differing quality for individual iPhone units

Though it's a common practice industry-wide, it appears that Apple's use of multiple suppliers for the same components of the iPhone (more than one company manufactures LCD screens, for instance) is resulting in -- sometimes dramatic -- differences in quality for shipping units. We've now encountered two separate issues that are indicative of this: one where some iPhone camera's display a greenish tint in captured images, and another where some iPhone screens are significantly brighter at the maximum setting than others.

According to an EE Times report earlier this month, multiple sources including Epson, Sharp, Toshiba and Matsushita Display Technology Co. Ltd are manufacturing the iPhone's touchscreen.

And, according to a report from TEXYT in late June, multiple sources including Altus-Tech, Primax and Lite On.

The apparent result of Apple's utilization of multiple sources for similar iPhone components is that some are of a higher quality than others. What's not clear, however, is what level of quality from various components Apple considers to be within acceptable range. As noted in our coverage of greenish-tint in iPhone photos, one iPhone Atlas reader had immediate success with getting his afflicted unit replaced by Apple, even though the replacement unit (and another replacement unit) exhibited the same issue.

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