iPad 3 Displays to be Produced by LG and Samsung as Sharp Cannot Meet Apple's Standards
Sharp may have to bow out of the iPad 3 part supply business as the company could not meet Apple’s standards when it came to producing displays for the its next-generation tablet, according to Korean publication Electronic Times Internet News.
The publication claims Sharp “failed to pass Apple’s approval process for mass production.” It also stated that Samsung and LG have already begun to produce iPad 3 panels at a high rate.
“It has been confirmed that Samsung Electronics and LG Display will supply LCD panels for Apple’s iPad 3, which is scheduled to be unveiled as early as in Q1 this year,” wrote Electronic Times. “Sharp was originally known to be developing display panels, but reportedly failed in initial supply.”
The report also revealed that Apple is planning on placing orders for 65 million LCD panels for iPad 3 in 2012. Samsung and LG are to supply 5 million displays in the first quarter of the year in order to meet demands for the device’s launch.
There has been no official confirmation for this report; however the publication cites an industry insider as the source of this new information.
Japanese tech site Macotakara also reported on the iPad 3 stating that Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron Technology have already began placing orders for iPad 3 components to meet an early-March launch.
The iPad 3 is expected to officially launch sometime this year. There have also been rumors of an iPad 4 making its way to the market sometime in the fall. The iPad 3 is rumored to be a more powerful version of the iPad 2 and the iPad 4 will be a redesigned model.