Apple is continuing to piece together its iPad 3 supply chain, which is now said to include three primary LCD makers that will supply the device’s much-anticipated Retina display and pple has lined up three display makers including LG Display, Samsung, and Sharp with LG being the biggest supplier, despite the recent issues Apple has had with the company’s iPad 2 displays. Apple will reportedly tap Taiwan-based Radiant Opto-Electronics to become the major supplier of backlight units (BLUs) for the device and it will reportedly supply over half of the BLUs required by LG and all of the BLUs needed by Samsung……………..
Despite learning over the last few weeks that Apple would be delaying the release of the iPad 3 until early next year and now in the process of securing a decent supply chain for the display with 3 shortlisted candidates. It was one of the great disappointments when the iPad 2 was launched bereft of a Retina Display and Apple had earlier released the iPhone 4 with a beautifully crisp 960×640 screen which each and every user had become accustomed to. It seemed a formality that a similar pattern would transgress over to the second installment of the iPad, but it wasn’t to be. It seems Apple is now heading towards a more significant visual upgrade at the third time of asking. With iOS 5 promising that Newsstand app, bringing all of the newspapers together in one teensy little SpringBoard icon, a Retina Display would most certainly find another welcome home and also help eradicate the problem of newspapers being scattered all over train carriages. It appears that Apple will look to the two biggest LCD suppliers on the planet – Samsung and LG, along with Sharp to develop the screens for its next tablet release. LG will be the most favored manufacturer, followed by Samsung, with Sharp providing the least, although there is potential for Sharp to play a more significant role ahead of Samsung if it can provide a high quality, stable supply. It is thought that Apple has placed Sharp into the mix to potentially distance itself from friend/foe Samsung, which has emerged as more of an enemy than an ally in recent months. Along with the preoccupation of the imminent iPhone 5 and iOS 5 launch, production of the Retina Display is cited as the main reason behind Apple delaying the release of the iPad 3, which was initially rumored to be making an appearance around the same time as the upcoming smartphone and operating system. Although it would have been wonderful to see the next-gen iPad, iPhone and iOS released in a convoy, it is much more important that Apple doesn’t cut any corners and has a healthy supply of each product.
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