This could be bad news for NEC fans. While I'm hoping that they're just going to be using Lite-On drives in their computers, I have a sneaking suspicion we'll be seeing rebadged Lite-On's in the future. Even if Lite-On manufactures drives based on NEC designs, I don't think the quality will be as good.
http://www.digitimes.com/systems/a20050810A6027.html
From what I've read, Pioneer is also looking to outsource.