Apple reportedly shifting iPad panel orders from Samsung to Sharp, LG

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
A report on Taiwan component suppliers says Apple is reducing its iPad screen shipments from Samsung in favor of Sharp and LG, a move that appears to mirror other actions to reduce its dependance upon its increasingly hostile "frenemy" partners.

The report, published by Digitimes, arrives from a source with a mixed record when it comes to future product predictions. It suggests Apple "is revising the new iPad and plans to launch a new version of iPad," a claim which is not well supported.

However, the Taiwanese site often fares better when simply reporting on component shipments, and in that regard the site claims that iPad panel shipments will fluctuate during the quarter ending in September, but edge slightly higher than the previous June quarter, raising deliveries from 19 million to 19.5 million panels. Apple sold a record setting 17 million iPads in the June quarter.



The site reported supply chain component sources as reporting that Apple would be "decreasing the proportion of total shipments of iPad panels from Samsung Electronics and increasing those from Sharp and LG Display."

The move away from Samsung isn't necessarily just in retaliation to the company's refusal to negotiate patent claims (as other industry rivals have, including Nokia). The site claims that Apple is also working to move away from a-Si TFT screens to use more oxide TFT panels for the iPad, and notes "Apple will increase use of oxide TFT panels shipped by Sharp for the new iPad."

At the same time, Apple has reportedly worked to expand its relationship with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) in a bid to reduce its dependence upon Samsung for ARM CPUs, and Apple has scouted out RAM from alternative suppliers as well.

Frenemies like these

Samsung remains a critical component supplier for Apple, joining the company's list of "frenemies" that it both partners closely with and competes vigorously against, including Microsoft and Google.

Apple has notably pitted its frenemies against each other, such as in partnering with Google to develop and popularize the WebKit browser at the expense of Microsoft's dominant share with Internet Explorer, and conversely in publicly partnering with Microsoft's Bing as an alternative option to Google web search in Safari.

Apple has also rolled its own alternatives to the to products it once depended upon various frenemies to provide, including the development of iWork and Safari to counter Microsoft's less than enthusiastic support of the Macintosh versions of Office and Internet Explorer, and its internal development of Siri and new iOS 6 Maps to bolster its competitive position against Google's Android platform.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45
    thepixeldocthepixeldoc Posts: 2,257member
    Come on A1... where's the story about Microsoft not being able to use the word "Metro" any longer?

    It's been viral for more than a few hours already...geeez!

    Yes I want to comment on it like a good little Teeny-Tech-Freak and write "First!" for the first time evaaah!

    ...oh... uh [SIZE=1][SIZE=1]First![/SIZE][/SIZE]
  • Reply 2 of 45


    Good job Apple!  Hope that LG and Sharp are able to keep up with the production demands and maintain quality.  If they are, this would be a big hit to Samsung.  :)

  • Reply 3 of 45
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Would that be phase 3?
  • Reply 4 of 45
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by ThePixelDoc View Post

    Come on A1...


     


    image


     


    I'm not sure a bottle can provide what you're after.

  • Reply 5 of 45
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    The report, <a href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120802PD204.html">published</a> by <em>Digitimes</em>, arrives from a source with a mixed record when it comes to future product predictions.

    So "never correct in the history of the universe" is a "mixed record"?

    I wonder if Digitimes is sharing their revenues with AI. That's the only explanation I can think of for why AI quotes such a clearly disreputable source so frequently.
  • Reply 6 of 45
    ifij775ifij775 Posts: 470member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    I wonder if Digitimes is sharing their revenues with AI.


     


    LOL.


     


    I think Digitimes needs to go in the article title, but would anyone read them?

  • Reply 7 of 45
    blackbookblackbook Posts: 1,361member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    So "never correct in the history of the universe" is a "mixed record"?

    I wonder if Digitimes is sharing their revenues with AI. That's the only explanation I can think of for why AI quotes such a clearly disreputable source so frequently.


    This is still more plausible than most Digitimes rumors.

  • Reply 8 of 45

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Apple has notably pitted its frenemies against each other, such as in partnering with Google to develop and popularize the WebKit browser at the expense of Microsoft's dominant share with Internet Explorer, and conversely in publicly partnering with Microsoft's Bing as an alternative option to Google web search in Safari.


     



    I don't know that there was ever any formal partnership between Apple and Google over WebKit. Rather, WebKit has always been an open-source project (derived from KHTML in the beginning) under the LGPL license, which obliges Apple to publish the source code.


     


    Google simply saw that it was the best technology available for their needs and adopted it for Android and Chrome.
  • Reply 9 of 45
    rufworkrufwork Posts: 130member


    Apple has notably pitted its frenemies against each other, such as in partnering with Google to develop and popularize the WebKit browser


     


    I'm not sure that's accurate.  I'd never heard of a "partnership", and couldn't Google it up quickly or see it on the Wikipedia entries for Chrome or WebKit.  Doesn't mean it's wrong, but I think it is [wrong].


     


    Open Source projects don't necessarily require partnership.  That's their beauty.  It's a passive partnership allowing accidental collaboration.  Apple and Google don't have to talk to each other at all, just cherry pick what they'd like from one another, if the license allows.


     


    So WebKit can borrow from Chromium and vice versa.  Not sure how much that happens (esp Chromium >>> WebKit), but I'm pretty sure there's no formal partnering, is there?  I mean, heck, Microsoft could grab WebKit and remake IE if they wanted to "fight" Google and Apple.  Or partner.  Or something.

  • Reply 10 of 45


    Crazy - acting like children.

  • Reply 11 of 45
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member


    If this is true, Samsung is losing their biggest customer. 

  • Reply 12 of 45
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pragmatous View Post


    Crazy - acting like children.



     


    No, it's Apple directing their own destiny. Because they can. 

  • Reply 13 of 45
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by pragmatous View Post

    Crazy - acting like children.


     


    Because everyone stays with their wife when she cheats. With the entire local hockey team.


     




    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post

    If this is true, Samsung is losing their biggest customer. 



     


    Second, I thought.

  • Reply 14 of 45
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pragmatous View Post


    Crazy - acting like children.



     


    Not sure how shifting business away from a supplier who Apple thinks steals from them, and who certainly competes with them, is anything but fully adult business.  

  • Reply 15 of 45
    umrk_labumrk_lab Posts: 550member
    Because everyone stays with their wife when she cheats. With the entire local hockey team.


    Second, I thought.

    Implicit reference to the puck ?
  • Reply 16 of 45
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by umrk_lab View Post

    Implicit reference to the puck ?


     


    Ah! Happy accident.

  • Reply 17 of 45
    povilaspovilas Posts: 473member


    Two birds one stone.

  • Reply 18 of 45
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Come on A1... where's the story about Microsoft not being able to use the word "Metro" any longer?
    It's been viral for more than a few hours already...geeez!
    Yes I want to comment on it like a good little Teeny-Tech-Freak and write "First!" for the first time evaaah!
    ...oh... uh First!

    "German company claims rights to Metro name forcing Microsoft change their branding for Windows 8. New name is Windows 99 Luftballons "*


    * 30 year old pop culture references usually don't make for funny jokes.
  • Reply 19 of 45


    Dont forget to add Adobe to this list of friends

  • Reply 20 of 45

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by daratbastid View Post


    Dont forget to add Adobe to this list of friends



    What's 'Adobe'?

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