AppleInsider Refutes Claims Sony Will Provide iPhone Chips (AAPL, SNE, OVTI)

AppleInsider is refuting the reports earlier today that Sony SNE would be providing Apple AAPL with a camera chip for the iPhone 5, citing analysts who've done channel checks on suppliers. Shares of OmniVision Technologies, Inc. OVTI are down sharply today, losing almost 7% on the rumor that Sony could potentially be the new camera chip supplier to Apple for the iPhone 5. Sony CEO Howard Stringer had made some comments last week that the Japanese devastation would impact Sony's image sensor facility in Sendai. Stringer specifically mentioned Apple as a partner, and as far as everyone knows, Sony does not partner with Apple on anything. This led to speculation today that Sony would provide an 8 megapixel camera for the next version of the iPhone. Analyst Yair Reiner with Oppenheimer & Co. said, "A closer look at the article that sparked the conjecture suggests Stringer implied just the opposite -- i.e. that the notion of such a hook-up was rather silly," Reiner said. "Based on our independent field work, we continue to strongly believe that OmniVision has won the image sensor slots on the next iPhone."