Samsung Sole Supplier for Retina Display in New iPad?

Bloomberg reports on comments from IHS iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal claiming that Samsung is currently serving as the sole supplier of the ultra-high resolution Retina display in the new iPad. Previous reports had indicated the Sharp and LG would also be supplying displays for the device.

Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) will supply the touch screen for Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s new iPad after LG Display Co. (034220) and Sharp Corp. (6753) didn’t meet the U.S. company’s quality requirements, according to an analyst with iSuppli.

Samsung, the world’s top flat-panel maker, currently is the sole vendor of the display for the 9.7-inch device, said Vinita Jakhanwal, a senior manager at iSuppli, a unit of Englewood, Colorado-based IHS Inc.

Sharp's role in the new Retina iPad display has been particularly murky, with some sources claiming that the company was responsible for a new design intended for the display and that it would be a key manufacturing partner for Apple. Rumors of Sharp failing to meet Apple's quality control standards surfaced in January, although a photo of a leaked display from Sharp surfaced a few weeks later. Another report from last month similarly suggested that Sharp was not a part of Apple's supply chain for the new iPad display, despite having designed the component.

apple samsung logos
Apple and Samsung have a complicated relationship given the fact that Samsung provides a substantial number of components for Apple's iOS devices even as it competes with Apple through its own Android-based hardware. Apple has reportedly been seeking to reduce its reliance on Samsung in light of the competition between the two companies, but market forces and technical considerations clearly trump that desire, and Apple is continuing to use Samsung when it is Apple's best option for a particular component.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
ipad pro 2024

Gurman: New iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models With M5 Chips to Launch Later This Year

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:06 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...

Top Rated Comments

ShiftyPig Avatar
170 months ago
The FB's can say whatever they want, but Samsung makes the best displays in the world. If you want the best iPad, you're about stuck using Samsung.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostlines Avatar
170 months ago
Deal with the Devil

Samsung's to money hungry to boycott Apple, and same goes for Apple. These guys have such a love hate relationship.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toddybody Avatar
170 months ago
Apple:

Samsung hardware is total junk...er, um except when theyre making our "revolutionary"/"unmatched"/"stunning"/"industry leading" display.


Come on :apple:, :rolleyes:
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AJH1993 Avatar
170 months ago
I just cancelled my order for new iPad. I refuse to support the Samsung legal warchest by purchasing products with their components inside. I'll wait until Apple uses a different display maker later this summer in the new iPad.

That's kinda... narrow minded.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JBaker122586 Avatar
170 months ago
For my money, Samsung makes the best HDTVs on the market, so I'm fine with them making the display on my new iPad.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleScruff1 Avatar
170 months ago
So is this this be a dilemma for hardcore fanboys...??? The way some have been carrying on in the Apple v Samsung threads, you would expect them to avoid the new Ipad.... but me thinks we have a lot of hypocrites on MR ;)

Ltd! What do you think?? They are Evil.... but they make these retina screens....

I'm sure what you posted won't be too popular here, but it is true. Samsung sucks, but it's ok as long as it benefits Apple. How many posts have you read here wishing that Samsung would go out of business, etc? Comical, isn't it?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)