It looks like Apple is trying to bully its way into exclusivity with one of its contracted manufacturers, Pegatron Technology. There have been rumors stating that the Asian iPhone manufacturer is facing quite a bit of pressure with a candid ultimatum from Apple: Stop taking new Ultrabook orders from Asus or else you will lose orders for our iOS devices.
Ouch.
According to Chinese news outlet Commercial Times, the controversial “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” demand was sparked by the similarities between Apple’s MacBook Air and the Asus Zenbook; the latter being released in October of last year.
Pegatron currently assembles Asustek’s ultra-thin Zenbooks, but it will now reportedly halt production by the end of next month. Consequently, Asustek will have to outsource the Zenbook line to Taiwanese manufacturers Compal Electronics or Wistron Corp.
In addition to its recent acquisition of iPhone orders, Pegatron is also looking to assemble iPads as well, which might have been a heavy factor in subsiding to the reported pressure by Apple. Additionally, it was rumored in January that Pegatron and Foxconn commenced an initial assembly of the iPad 3, with an early March launch; however, a release date closer to April seems more likely at this point.
Apple Daily, another Chinese news outlet, reported in January that Pegatron was issued contracts to assemble at least five second-tier brand Ultrabooks, scheduled to ship by April or May. Interestingly enough, Pegatron is an Asustek spin-off that manufactures Ultrabooks for additional vendors as well.
Pegatron was created on June 27, 2007 as a subsidiary of Asustek (or Asus) in a restructuring venture, which split the company into three distinct operational units (Asus, the Unihan Corporation, and Pegatron). In January of 2008, Pegatron acquired Unihan from Asustek.
On June 10, 2010, Pegatron became independent, spin off company.
Source: 9to5Mac
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