Apple has severed its ties with an engineering design firm SurfaceInk after it unveiled a prototype tablet deemed to be a little to similar to the iPad for comfort.
SurfaceInk showed the prototype at a trade show in June, to showcase the company’s capabilities to potential clients.
Eric Bauswell, SurfaceInk’s chief executive, confirmed the separation which he said was a result of Apple’s concerns about the direction the company is taking.
“I think they view our capabilities as an opportunity for competitors,” he said.
SurfaceInk has worked with Apple for almost a decade, according to the New York Times, as well as sometime rivals Palm and HP, other consumer electronics makers, and firms in the medical devices, toy, sports goods industries.
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