Samsung reportedly tapping Chinese supplier to produce 'iPad 3' displays

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014


A set of leaked photos purportedly show shipments of 9.7-inch displays bound for Apple's next-generation iPad being manufactured by a Samsung supplier.



The images were leaked by App.wepost.me (via MacNN) on Sunday. While the report itself admitted that the photos don't represent "very fierce" breaking news, the images appear to offer a rare, albeit blurry, look inside Apple's supply chain.



The pictures purportedly originated from a Radiant Opto-Electronics factory in Wujiang, China. The publication's sources reported tight security measures around four alleged complete "iPad 3" units at the plant, but they indicated that the external design of the next-generation tablet is "basically the same" as its predecessor.



The insiders did, however, manage to take stealth shots of the manufactured displays and the factory. The report agreed with reports that the third-generation iPad will have Retina Display quality and "dual LED display technology." Some of the photos also appeared to corroborate recent claims that the next iPad will feature an upgraded camera module, with the publication speculating either a resolution of either 5 or 8 megapixels.



The screen is reportedly coded J2, a possible reference to the rumored codename for one model of the next-generation iPad. Shipments of the finished components were marked with the Samsung logo, and even sealed with Samsung tape.





















According to the report, the packaged displays will be shipped through customs to Samsung in South Korea where they will then be passed on to Apple.



The purported leak comes on the heels of other apparent photos of the next-generation iPad that emerged out of Asia this weekend. A Taiwanese publication recently published pictures of the pack of an alleged third-gen iPad that showed a larger rear-facing camera on the device. Another Chinese-language site published photos of an "A5X" chip supposedly from a logic board for the upcoming tablet.



Apple is expected to unveil the new iPad at a media event in early March, with multiple reports citing March 7 as the likely date. Strong evidence suggests the tablet will indeed feature a much-anticipated double-resolution Retina Display, as one recent report showed the increased pixel density through microscope-enlarged photos of an alleged third-generation iPad display. The device is also expected to feature a faster processor and support for 4G LTE connectivity.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the largest amount of leaks of any Apple product I have ever seen... That doesn't involve purchasing a stolen prototype.
  • Reply 2 of 37
    I call no LTE. Or, rather?



    Retina, A6 quad core, LTE. Pick two.
  • Reply 3 of 37
    A6/A5 or whatever, retina, Siri and better camera.





    Oh and one more thing....



    LTE for sure
  • Reply 4 of 37
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    My final predictions:



    Dual core A6

    Retina

    No LTE, only HSPA+ same as 4S

    8MP back camera

    Facetime HD

    Some revamped apps and new Apple designed ones

    Siri
  • Reply 5 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sunilraman View Post


    Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the largest amount of leaks of any Apple product I have ever seen... That doesn't involve purchasing a stolen prototype.



    Nice qualifier. I was about to mention that.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    I call no LTE. Or, rather?



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


    No LTE, only HSPA+ same as 4S



    I can picture a scenario where LTE makes sense. The iPad already gets 9 hours with '3G' data usage so I think that even 6 or 7 hours for '4G' for a card that still costs $129 seems feasible. It could help sell more WiFi+3G iPads and get some testing on their LTE chips which I think are all still at the 45nm process.



    PS: I know it hasn't been stated yet but it doesn't make sense for Apple to include cellular connectivity in every iPad. This is simply not going to happen.
  • Reply 6 of 37
    So if Samsung uses Chinese labor but makes the display panels for Apple, does Apple get the blame if workers there are allegedly mistreated?



    Also, why send the displays from China to South Korea and "then be passed on to Apple" if final assembly of the iPad is in China?
  • Reply 7 of 37
    normmnormm Posts: 653member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Also, why send the displays from China to South Korea and "then be passed on to Apple" if final assembly of the iPad is in China?



    If these displays are being shipped to South Korea, I think that's pretty good evidence they aren't for the iPad 3.
  • Reply 8 of 37
    matrix07matrix07 Posts: 1,993member
    Surely, the Plant has security cameras, right? Good luck whoever did this.
  • Reply 9 of 37
    Quote:

    Also, why send the displays from China to South Korea and "then be passed on to Apple" if final assembly of the iPad is in China?



    Quality check maybe?
  • Reply 10 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Also, why send the displays from China to South Korea and "then be passed on to Apple" if final assembly of the iPad is in China?



    Because the person they got this report from is totally full of shit.



    Or they could be the 2560x1600 displays for the next Galaxy Tab (apparently being announced at MWC).
  • Reply 11 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    PS: I know it hasn't been stated yet but it doesn't make sense for Apple to include cellular connectivity in every iPad. This is simply not going to happen.



    Yup. I never use (and never will use) cellular in my iPad... unless Apple push for shared LTE data plans.



    iPhone LTE + iPad LTE on one data plan would be a big win for Apple (and consumers!).
  • Reply 12 of 37
    There have always been 2 lines of iPads [WiFi and WiFi + Cellular].
  • Reply 13 of 37
    joshajosha Posts: 901member
    Was this worth posting?

    I say it's a waste of our time.

    Please wait until there is some real news, with some usefull pictures.
  • Reply 14 of 37
    Of all the rumors I have read, this has got to be the weakest.
  • Reply 15 of 37
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    So we know what the resolution of the next display is now and anybody wishing for a hi-res display will be getting what they wanted, but there's one thing that we don't know yet. I sure hope that it's IPS or something at least as good. There was some rumor about Sharp making an IGZO display, but that doesn't seem to be the case now if Samsung is making displays for Apple.



    The greatly increased resolution is all fine and dandy, but if it were regular LCD tech instead of IPS like what is found in the iPad 1/2, then that would be horrible, and I'd rather stick with the lower res iPad 2 instead. I can't imagine that Apple would ever make such a blunder, so I suppose there's nothing to worry about. Nobody's ever made a 2560x1536 9.7" screen before, and I guess we'll all know the details soon enough. As long as it's IPS or something else that's better, then I'll be happy.
  • Reply 16 of 37
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,616member
    LTE is, at this point, a bag of hurt. It almost halves your battery life and this makes it a no no for Apple.



    As an example, lets look at the Droid MAXX. It has a larger battery providing a capacity of 3300mAh / 12.54 Whr. With this battery you get the following usage times: 8.13 hours of 3G web browsing or 5.6 hours of 4G usage.



    There is also the fact that only a tiny percentage of users can get LTE and they are all in the states. Europe have not even made moves towards LTE and don't look likely to do so until the beginning of 2013.
  • Reply 17 of 37
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by irnchriz View Post


    LTE is, at this point, a bag of hurt. It almost halves your battery life and this makes it a no no for Apple.



    As an example, lets look at the Droid MAXX. It has a larger battery providing a capacity of 3300mAh / 12.54 Whr. With this battery you get the following usage times: 8.13 hours of 3G web browsing or 5.6 hours of 4G usage.



    There is also the fact that only a tiny percentage of users can get LTE and they are all in the states. Europe have not even made moves towards LTE and don't look likely to do so until the beginning of 2013.





    It's always better to have a bigger battery and have the ability to turn features you dont like.



    That said why is Apple still dealing with Samsung? I understand older hardware being under contract but the legal battle between the two has been going on for about a year. Surely Apple could have found other suppliers by now especially with newer products.
  • Reply 18 of 37
    nkalunkalu Posts: 315member
    Why is Apple still stuck on doing business with Samsung after all that has gone on these past few years?
  • Reply 19 of 37
    drdoppiodrdoppio Posts: 1,132member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkalu View Post


    Why is Apple still stuck on doing business with Samsung after all that has gone on these past few years?



    $$$$$
  • Reply 20 of 37
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkalu View Post


    Why is Apple still stuck on doing business with Samsung after all that has gone on these past few years?



    Maybe they can't find another manufacturer that can handle the volume or other mfg is much more expensive. Samsung is copying Apple products and I don't think that will change even if Apple goes to a different manufacturer.
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