A new report suggests Samsung has formed a standalone team of about 200 employees to work exclusively on making screens for rival smartphone maker Apple’s devices.
According to a report on Bloomberg, which cites people with direct knowledge of the matter, the Apple dedicated Samsung team is working to build new screen panels for iPads, MacBooks, and possibly future Apple Watches.
As per the report, the dedicated team, which develops displays for iPads and MacBooks, is only allowed to share information about Apple’s requirements and product developments within themselves. The unit is expected to be created on April 1, the same day when Samsung split its display arm into two units handling LCD and OLED technology.
Bloomberg reports that the team also helps with sales and that Apple is now the biggest external customer for Samsung components.
The move indicates that relations between Samsung and Apple have improved after the two companies agreed to drop all patent litigation outside the United States last year. The legal battle between the duo started in the United States in 2011 when Apple accused Samsung of copying its iPhone designs. Samsung countered that Apple was using pieces of its wireless-transmission technology without permission.
Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock and a Samsung Display spokesman declined to comment on the report.
Samsung is also expected to make Apple’s A9 processor chips for future iPhones and iPads at the company’s Giheung plant in South Korea. Current A8 SoC variants are produced by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
