Rumor: LG and Samsung Tapped as iPad 3 Panel Suppliers

All eyes are on Apple and its supply chain this month as rumors regarding its upcoming iPad begin to ramp up. The company is expected to unveil its new tablet sometime between now and early March of this year.

The latest chatter to come out of overseas component manufacturers is that Apple is looking to order in upwards of 65 million iPad 3 displays in 2012. And a recent report suggests that LG and Samsung are going to be splitting the bounty…

Korea’s Electronic Times is reporting that LG and Samsung will be manufacturing the display panels for Apple’s upcoming iPad. The news directly contradicts an earlier report from Macotakara claiming that Sharp was set to be the tablet’s panel supplier.

Here’s an excerpt from the report:

“Sharp has competed with Samsung electronics and LGD Display over the development of display panels for the iPad 3, but reportedly failed to pass Apple’s approval process for mass production. Sharp has worked on developing high resolution panels on the basis of oxide semiconductor TFTs.”

For what it’s worth, Electronic Times maintains the rumor that the panels in question are of the XQGA variety with a hefty resolution of 2048 x 1546. It also echoes other chatter we’ve heard that the tablet is in production and set for a Q1 debut.

We’re obviously far more concerned with the tablet itself than who makes it, but you gotta feel for Sharp. If there’s any truth to this story, the Tokyo-based company just lost out on one of the biggest part orders of the year because it couldn’t get its act together. Ouch.

[PatentlyApple]