Apple reportedly drops LCD supplier AUO for second-gen iPad mini, may turn to Samsung
Longtime Apple supplier AU Optronics will not be providing low-power LCD screens for the company's second-generation iPad mini due to production issues, according to a new report.
AUO's apparent inability to make the cut has industry insiders wondering whether Apple will turn to rival Samsung to meet the lost production, according to ETNews. Apple is already said to have struck a deal with LG for displays for its next-generation iPad mini.
LCDs for the current iPad mini have been supplied by AUO, LG Display and Sharp. Tuesday's report suggested that Sharp is also likely to remain a supplier for the next iPad mini, because it is the only supplier that can provide low-power oxide semiconductor LCD panels.
"Apple plans to apply oxide semiconductor LCD to iPad mini 2 despite the initial low production yield, because it gives the advantage of saving electricity," the report said. "Last year, AUO started to supply panels to Apple thanks to its price competitiveness. However, it could not convince Apple, as it failed to meet the supply deadlines or to develop an LCD with high penetration rate."
Apple may have felt comfortable in allegedly dropping AUO as an LCD supplier because of an improved relationship with Samsung Display. Tuesday's report claimed that Samsung Display has already developed an LCD sample for Apple, and the company may be able to secure a significant number of orders.
The details align with a rumor from last month, which claimed that Samsung would be the key supplier of 7.9-inch displays for Apple's next iPad mini. There has been considerable confusion, however, as to whether those screens will be high-resolution Retina displays. Tuesday's report did not offer any indication either way.
Samsung and Apple are currently engaged in a series of lawsuits in which each has accused the other of patent infringement. But in spite of those legal battles, relations between Apple and Samsung Display are alleged to have improved, and it's expected that Samsung will remain a supplier of displays for Apple's devices for the foreseeable future.
AUO's apparent inability to make the cut has industry insiders wondering whether Apple will turn to rival Samsung to meet the lost production, according to ETNews. Apple is already said to have struck a deal with LG for displays for its next-generation iPad mini.
LCDs for the current iPad mini have been supplied by AUO, LG Display and Sharp. Tuesday's report suggested that Sharp is also likely to remain a supplier for the next iPad mini, because it is the only supplier that can provide low-power oxide semiconductor LCD panels.
"Apple plans to apply oxide semiconductor LCD to iPad mini 2 despite the initial low production yield, because it gives the advantage of saving electricity," the report said. "Last year, AUO started to supply panels to Apple thanks to its price competitiveness. However, it could not convince Apple, as it failed to meet the supply deadlines or to develop an LCD with high penetration rate."
Apple may have felt comfortable in allegedly dropping AUO as an LCD supplier because of an improved relationship with Samsung Display. Tuesday's report claimed that Samsung Display has already developed an LCD sample for Apple, and the company may be able to secure a significant number of orders.
The details align with a rumor from last month, which claimed that Samsung would be the key supplier of 7.9-inch displays for Apple's next iPad mini. There has been considerable confusion, however, as to whether those screens will be high-resolution Retina displays. Tuesday's report did not offer any indication either way.
Samsung and Apple are currently engaged in a series of lawsuits in which each has accused the other of patent infringement. But in spite of those legal battles, relations between Apple and Samsung Display are alleged to have improved, and it's expected that Samsung will remain a supplier of displays for Apple's devices for the foreseeable future.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Oak
For God's sake Apple, invest more in the display arena. It becomes a crisis every time you launch a product. The display is as important as the microprocessor
A rumored crisis shouldn't mean much to you unless you're heavily invested in them.
Looks like they want to move to IGZO retina mini's but yield is bad. imo if they cant make it they should do a small incremetal upgrade mini and offer the ipad mini 1 at $250 in time for Christmas. Or they could just price drop the mini to $299 or $250.
Apple is completly losing its grip of the high end market, its entire line up will be lagging in specs next fall. They must deliver or its going to get very ugly.
Whatever they do they need to avoid turning to Samsung for IGZO panels, they will be literatly paying Samsung to set up that tech on there production line and they will turn around and used the expertise to set up there own line.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmm
A rumored crisis shouldn't mean much to you unless you're heavily invested in them.
He still has a point. For the ipad 3, Apple had to fall back to Samsung in the first months because it was the only one with a good yield and good quality. Its like Samsung is the only company capable of mass producing high end panels.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
Apple is completly losing its grip of the high end market, its entire line up will be lagging in specs next fall. They must deliver or its going to get very ugly.
Where have you been for the past three years?
There is no such thing as a high end tablet market. There is an iPad market and a market for "cheap", "other" tablets. iPads don't sell because of specs. They sell because they provide a great customer experience. Many iPad buyers simply do not care about specs. This is why they are moving away from PCs.
And we're supposed to believe this because?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
And we're supposed to believe this because?
Because it will help to drag the stock price down even more if Apple misses its numbers.
According to a new wild-a$$ed guess, you mean.
So Apple is losing its grip because:
- Some journalist who doesn't know his butt from a hole in the ground says Apple changed suppliers for some non-existent product.
- Some loud-mouth on AI says Apple should drop the price of their product.
Which one is it?
/s
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
He still has a point. For the ipad 3, Apple had to fall back to Samsung in the first months because it was the only one with a good yield and good quality. Its like Samsung is the only company capable of mass producing high end panels.
I remember this, yet you only see how it's presented. You don't even know that it was a fall back. It is portrayed that way because it makes people click the article links. It's unlikely that his own purchasing habits were affected, which is why I stated that it shouldn't even matter unless he is an investor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
But why does AI report this crap? I'd rather see no updates on the site than this junk.
Just keep replying... click click click...
They should just wait until the technology has improved to release this item since it's clearly not ready yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herbapou
He still has a point. For the ipad 3, Apple had to fall back to Samsung in the first months because it was the only one with a good yield and good quality. Its like Samsung is the only company capable of mass producing high end panels.
Looks like the "crisis" was well handled. When you need parts, go to the industry leader for those parts. Solved.
The "thermonuclear war" jingoism made for good headlines and all, but at the end of the day Apple needs to ship.
Tim Cook is a cool-headed expert in supply chain management who seems to be handling this well.
Herb, it looks like the one losing his grip is you. The story is clearly saying that Samsung is already making IGZO panels. Samsung is so competitive and competent in LCD manufacturing there is no way they are going to stand by and let Sharp and LG (or even AUO) do all the IGZO LCDs in the world.
It is not going to get "very ugly," except maybe here, where we see grown men shrieking about the sky falling on Apple. The point is lost if you don't remember that it is Apple that is spending billions (probably) on Sharp to get the technology up to mass-production scale, thus forcing even Samsung to try harder. That's the way it seems to me from my position of total ignorance of the details, same as yours.
It's all in the interpretation. Yes, it is the story of the decade, sort of like superconductors for pixels. Journalists who are interested in real technical information should be paying attention. So far I haven't found any. But the real story will show that once again, like with touch screens for example, it was Apple that saw the benefits of a new technology and used it for the basis of a new form factor, coming soon to a phone, tablet and laptop at your Apple store. It won't be ugly.
Or if you are tired of the same rumored product release crisis after product release crisis!
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