Sony Corp is on a high following a report that it is in talks to supply more camera sensors to Apple Inc. Sony gained 2.2 percent and was the eighth most-traded stock in Japan’s Nikkei by turnover.

The Nikkei newspaper said Sony is in talks with Apple to double its supply of camera components for a new iPhone slated to roll out as early as next year.

Sony supplies nearly all of the CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors for the current iPhone 5S’s rear-mounted main cameras.

Apple Inc could be looking to switch to Sony sensors for the secondary camera on the front, which currently uses parts from suppliers in the United States and elsewhere, the business daily said.

With more customers expected to use smartphones for video calls, Apple sounded out Sony about supplying more sensors, Nikkei said.

Sony held the largest share of the global CMOS sensor market in 2012 at 32.1 percent, according to Techno Systems Research. Sony has laid the groundwork for stepping up production to keep up with the increase in orders, Nikkei reported.

A request from Apple Inc was the reason for its January decision to purchase a plant from Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics, according to a source involved in the negotiations, the newspaper said. Sony also supplies to Samsung Electronics, the world’s No. 1 smartphone seller, and Huawei Technologies.

http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/technology-others/sony-corp-in-talk-to-supply-more-camera-sensors-to-apple/

I think it is a really good news for Sony. it might add a little bit cashflow for the giant to overcome the current crisis :)

Apple would likely be paying at-most $20 for both camera's, so it's not horribly high-margin for image sensor manufacturers, it's the high-end sensors like what are found in the Lumia 1020 that would push any sort of decent margins.
But it should help the bottom line and make things look rosy to shareholders at-least, basically means squat to us general consumers though.

Hopefully it also means better cameras in the iPhone, the current ones are absolutely shocking to say the least!

Nice. Sony's camera division is profitable and people still chose Sony cameras over other companies like Samsung. I would even say that Sony is up there with Canon and Nikon for the best cameras. So looks like this division will continue to do well

Yeah, the profit isn't that big per sale, but think about how many apple products are sold.  That's several millions, and that's just when the product launches. 

I actually think the iPhone cameras are better than most other smartphones. Doing direct comparisons with other high end smartphones, the iPhone usually wins imo. Not sure if its the most accurate picture or anything like that but just looks better in general.

The iphone 5 already sold around 90 million pieces and the iphone 5S is already at 12-13 million and the 5C at around 5-7 million. Seeing how all available models reach between 45 and 50 million per quarter that can be a significant increase for Sony. I expect that Apple will also use high quality image sensors from Sony for their front camera. And the top-tier model will probably receive those 20MP sensors that Sony used in Z1 and Z1 Compact

Apple loves Sony :)

Some of the high-end Android phones, for sure, the iPhone probably does have an edge.
But compared to something like the Lumia's it does fall short, then again Nokia's camera apps make a big difference.

Then again, if you wanted a great camera you wouldn't be looking past something like the 41-Megapixel Lumia 1020 or the Samsung Galaxy Zoom.

Nah, it will just help the bottom line and hopefully keep them in the green. (Last thing anyone should want is for a company like Sony to falter, competition is good for everyone.)
Remember Sony is probably only supplying the front camera, Apple pays about $20 for both.
The front camera is significantly cheaper than the rear, Sony might make a couple bucks each.

Remember, shareholders are always pushing for ever-increasing profits, they don't like things that are low-profit margin.

So,if Sony successfully sign the contract, it somehow help Sony generate money around 200-400 million this year if Apple have a good Iphone 6 debut :v