Hong Kong paper, Ta Kung Pao, claims Apple Inc. (AAPL) has finalized three iWatch parts suppliers

More weight was given to the rumors about the Q3 release of Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iWatch wearable device by an article that appeared in Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong based paper, this morning. The article (available here in Chinese Simplified only) describes three firms that have been finalized by the Cupertino, California electronics titan as the suppliers for critical parts to be used in the planned smartwatch. Specific details of the additional funding sought by these companies and the components they are likely to produce is also found in the report.

The paper claims that the companies have been chosen to manufacture flexible printed circuit boards for the iWatch. These FPCBs would be useful for an overall flexible design, hinting that the entire watch may be somewhat ductile. This, of course, would remove the possibility of using a sapphire glass display, and would require the use of a flexible glass such as the type recently introduced by Gorilla Glass. Corning has been developing a 3D Gorilla Glass variety for some time, and a contract to produce it would be a windfall for the company.

The three companies named by Ta Kung Pao as those selected by Apple Inc. (AAPL) to manufacture FPCBs are Zhen Ding Technology Holding, Flexium Interconnect, and Career Technology, known locally as “Jia Yi Technology.” The largest contract is slated to go to Flexium Interconnect, which is spending $100 million to expand and upgrade its facilities. Career Technology is spending $33 million on extra productive capability, and Zhen Ding is expected to boost available manufacturing space, too.

Headquartered in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, Ta Kung Pao is a solid and well-established newspaper, which lends much greater believability to its reports about the iWatch than the enthusiastic, exaggerated rumors spread by celebrity analysts. Ta Kung Pao was established in 1902 by one Ying Lianzhi, who held the rather too optimistic opinion that China would soon be democratic and free and would need an impartial news source. The paper was the first in China to migrate to the Internet in 1995, and is a fairly reliable source for news on Apple’s (AAPL) local activities.

The news site gives September as the likely retail launch date for the iWatch. Zhen Ding expects a 20% increase in revenue thanks to Apple’s (AAPL) contract, while the other firms did not provide information about their expectations. If the rumor proves to be true, it may be the most accurate data yet about the iWatch’s planned configuration and the month of its release.