Tim Cook Calls Japanese Ink Supplier Seiko Advance the ‘Reason’ Behind Midnight Green Colour

Tim Cook has revealed that Apple’s famous Midnight Green is only possible thanks to Japanese supplier Seiko Advance.

In an interview with Nikkei Asian Review, Tim Cook has hailed Japanese ink producer Seiko Advance as the reason Apple was able to release a Midnight Green version of its iPhone 11 Pro.



Seiko Advance is a company that creates ink for devices like the iPhone. Cook was shown a vat of the Midnight Green dye when he visited Seiko Advance and said that it was “only made by high-quality control and craftsmanship.”

“Incorporated in 1950 as a paint supplier, [Seiko Advance] is an example of a long-established company that managed to adapt to a new age,” reads the report. “It also shows how Japan’s technological backbone has endured even as some of its brightest business stars have faded. And its story tells us something about Cook, whose knack for managing procurement was one of the reasons Apple hired him in the first place.”

Yukinori Kabe, sales manager of Seiko Advance, noted that the company was able to develop a cleaner way of producing green ink that retained high colour accuracy and durability. The new method, which didn’t involve pollutants like halogens, appealed to Tim Cook, explains the report. Apple, of course, prides itself on its environmental focus.

Seiko Advance is also responsible for the Gold, Space Gray, and Silver iPhone 11 Pro colours. “We are the sole supplier of colours for the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max,” said Kabe.

When Kabe first visited Apple in Cupertino and met Cook for the first time, he realized that Seiko Advance wasn’t ready to meet Apple’s high-quality standards. After four years of trial and error, however, the company began supplying black ink for the iPhone, which in turn led to a partnership that now accounts for 40 percent of the company’s sales.

According to Cook, Apple and Seiko Advance have “grown together” and “push each other to innovate more.”