LG lands most display orders for Apple's latest products - report

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Most of the screen orders for Apple's new iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, and redesigned iMacs have reportedly gone to LG Display, not Samsung.

The details come from a new report from DigiTimes on Thursday, which cited its usual industry sources. Additional iPad mini panels are also said to be provided by AU Optronics.

LG's iPad mini LCD displays reportedly use in-plane switching technology, like the full-size iPad. The screens from AU Optronics are said to achieve the same quality with "AHVA technology," which is the company's own proprietary Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle display feature.

While AU Optronics is allegedly in the mix, most of the orders have been placed with LG, because AU Optronics is reportedly "having issues with producing panels." As a result, the company has a "much lesser proportion of shipments for the iPad mini."

iPad mini


Earlier this year, with the launch of the third-generation iPad with Retina display, other suppliers such as LG could not produce high-resolution displays for Apple at launch. That left Apple with only Samsung, one of its fiercest rivals, as a Retina display provider for the 9.7-inch tablet.

So much attention has been placed on the uneasy partnership between Apple and Samsung that earlier this week Samsung was forced to publicly deny a rumor that it had terminated a contract for LCD screens with Apple. Thursday's latest report out of the Far East gave no indication that Samsung is an LCD supplier for Apple's latest lineup of products.

Separately, DigiTimes also reported on Thursday that the $329 starting price of the iPad mini is because of low yields for the device's touchscreen. Specifically, it's related to the device's GF DITO, or GF2, touch screen technology, which allows the screen to be thinner than the full-size iPad.

Citing industry sources, the publication said the DITO film sensor faces issues in mass production. The GF2 screens are only about $5 cheaper than the thicker displays Apple uses in the full-size 9.7-inch iPad.

Finally, the report also said that orders for the $399 iPad 2 have a "visibility" through the first quarter of 2013. The report said the device has seen "steady sales," which likely prompted Apple to keep the product around in light of the iPad mini debut.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28


    Smack!

  • Reply 2 of 28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Finally, the report also said that orders for the $399 iPad 2 have a "visibility" through the first quarter of 2013. The report said the device has seen "steady sales," which likely prompted Apple to keep the product around in light of the iPad mini debut.


    wrong.

    next to the mini the iPad 2 won't have the "steady sales" anymore.



    btw, after the mini starts shipping, would be nice if some experts tested/compared its display (of LG vs AU Optronics).

  • Reply 3 of 28
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member


    So much for the Samsung tale that they are cutting Apple off.

  • Reply 4 of 28
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mac-user View Post


    wrong.

    next to the mini the iPad 2 won't have the "steady sales" anymore.



     


    That depends. Supposedly Apple sells a lot of them to the education market and the debut of the Mini may not have a significant effect on that, at least in the short-term, with purchases already approved. On the other hand, it may just be that the iPad 2 cleverly fills a gap in the market for people who want a full-sized iPad, but for whom the extra $100 for the 4th gen is more than they are willing to spend.


     


    Regardless, the story of the iPad 2 is not fully written yet, and it's premature to declare its imminent demise.

  • Reply 5 of 28
    vikptvikpt Posts: 14member
    Is this a bad news or what? :/
  • Reply 6 of 28
    jason98jason98 Posts: 768member
    anonymouse wrote: »
    So much for the Samsung tale that they are cutting Apple off.


    Explain me please, how is Samsung any different than LG, Sharp, or any other consumer electronic corporation?
    They all make android smartphones thus no matter how apple moves its supply chain around, it will still going to have a conflict of interest with these manufacturers.
    It just happened with Samsung to be the most successful one. But who knows, eventually it could be LG with litte help from a steady revenue stream coming from Apple. Then what? Abandon LG as well? :no:
  • Reply 7 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    jason98 wrote: »
    Explain me please, how is Samsung any different than LG, Sharp, or any other consumer electronic corporation?
    They all make android smartphones thus no matter how apple moves its supply chain around, it will still going to have a conflict of interest with these manufacturers.
    It just happened with Samsung to be the most successful one. But who knows, eventually it could be LG with litte help from a steady revenue stream coming from Apple. Then what? Abandon LG as well? :no:

    You are seriously comparing Samsung with LG in terms of being adversaries to Apple in litigation (which was the point of the post you replied to IMHO).
  • Reply 8 of 28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post





    Explain me please, how is Samsung any different than LG, Sharp, or any other consumer electronic corporation?

    They all make android smartphones thus no matter how apple moves its supply chain around, it will still going to have a conflict of interest with these manufacturers.

    It just happened with Samsung to be the most successful one. But who knows, eventually it could be LG with litte help from a steady revenue stream coming from Apple. Then what? Abandon LG as well? image


     


    LG has been making Apple displays for a long while now (and I believe is Apple's largest display supplier) - they've been also losing a lot of money, despite Apple's huge orders.  

  • Reply 9 of 28


    And that's why they're called "Lucky" Goldstar.

  • Reply 10 of 28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


     


    That depends. Supposedly Apple sells a lot of them to the education market and the debut of the Mini may not have a significant effect on that, at least in the short-term, with purchases already approved. On the other hand, it may just be that the iPad 2 cleverly fills a gap in the market for people who want a full-sized iPad, but for whom the extra $100 for the 4th gen is more than they are willing to spend.


     


    Regardless, the story of the iPad 2 is not fully written yet, and it's premature to declare its imminent demise.



    I actually agree with you, the education market can be a good point, it can maintain the "steady sales" for the iPad 2 but likely only in lower volume, IMO.

  • Reply 11 of 28


    Getting rid of Samsung as a component supplier could potentially hurt Apple long-term.  Samsung is excellent at manufacturing mass quantities of components at good quality.

  • Reply 12 of 28
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    Why has nothing ever been said about this GF2 DITO technology until recently by the KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo?

    Where's the curiosity, the in-depth reporting? Dilger? Gruber? [B]SockRolid[/B]? And yes, I'd better say, even Ireland?

    Who's the display expert around here? Is this what Apple has been spending some of its screen development money on?
  • Reply 13 of 28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jason98 View Post





    Explain me please, how is Samsung any different than LG, Sharp, or any other consumer electronic corporation?

    They all make android smartphones thus no matter how apple moves its supply chain around, it will still going to have a conflict of interest with these manufacturers.

    It just happened with Samsung to be the most successful one. But who knows, eventually it could be LG with litte help from a steady revenue stream coming from Apple. Then what? Abandon LG as well? image


     


    Did it "just happen"? Or did it have something to do with the fact that Samsung was the most egregious at ripping off Apple's IP and designs, down to the packaging and accessories?


     


    No one wants to do business with liars, cheats and thieves.

  • Reply 14 of 28
    Quality control better be good. LG not a patch on Samsung
  • Reply 15 of 28
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    I bet this story is retracted (sorry, "updated") tomorrow, these ones always are.
  • Reply 16 of 28


    When have iMacs not used LG displays? LG has been Apples main LCD supplier almost as long as Apple has been using LCD panels.


     


    iPad 3 was a notable exception. It appears likely that LG couldn't reliably deliver that size of retina display in sufficient number, creating an opening for Samsung.


     


    If this is true (digitimes after all) about AUO, it would great to see them start producing an IPS equivalent panel. Their MVA tech panels produce significant viewing angle washout.

  • Reply 17 of 28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anonymouse View Post


     


    Did it "just happen"? Or did it have something to do with the fact that Samsung was the most egregious at ripping off Apple's IP and designs, down to the packaging and accessories?


     


    No one wants to do business with liars, cheats and thieves.



     


    Samsung's business practice is already well-known - that's how they crushed the Japanese memory / display competitors.  I recommend that you read Sony vs. Samsung:  The Inside Story of the Electronics Giants' Battle For Global Supremacy.  Well, at least Samsung can't steal Apple's technology - since there is really nothing to steal  image (duck!)


     


    Yep, no one wants to do business with Samsung and that's why their customer base and revenue have been going up quite steadily while everyone else is losing money. 

  • Reply 18 of 28
    Apple needs to develop its own display screen technologies and factories.
  • Reply 19 of 28

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Snowdog65 View Post


    When have iMacs not used LG displays? LG has been Apples main LCD supplier almost as long as Apple has been using LCD panels.


     


    iPad 3 was a notable exception. It appears likely that LG couldn't reliably deliver that size of retina display in sufficient number, creating an opening for Samsung.


     


    If this is true (digitimes after all) about AUO, it would great to see them start producing an IPS equivalent panel. Their MVA tech panels produce significant viewing angle washout.



     


     


    I think Apple approached Samsung when iPad 2's LG-made displays started having that infamous light leakage prob in early 2011.  I don't think Samsung and Apple had a lot of display business until that point.  Toshiba made tft displays for Apple's earlier iPhones.  So I don't really see where Samsung's display fits in Apple's supply chain.

  • Reply 20 of 28
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by peter236 View Post



    Apple needs to develop its own display screen technologies and factories.


     


    Not with Tim Cook at the helm. The guy is all about numbers.


     


    The fixed costs alone in maintaining facilities will make him balk at the proposal.


     


     


    Many people say that Apple makes a lot more profits than Samsung does.


     


    But Samsung still makes tons of profit even when they have high fixed costs (factories, equipments,  R&D facilities).


     


    Just imagine what their profits would be if they had none.

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