LG Display

LG saw 90% drop in iPad panel shipments in January

A new report out of China claims that LG Display saw shipments of its 9.7-inch iPad display panels drop 90% in January, from 6 million units in December all the way down to 600,000. The drop-off is said to be a main factor in LG's poor performance in the month.

The reason for the order cuts? Well according to supply chain sources, it's a combination of a few things including the fact that January was the first post-holiday month, the growing popularity of the iPad mini, and a general shift in the market to lower-priced tablets...

Apple orders Retina iPad mini screens from Japan Display and LG Display

Apple, according to a new supply chain report out of Asia, has placed orders with LG Display and Japan Display for high-resolution Retina screens for a second-generation iPad mini. Japan Display is a merger of the mobile display operations of Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba, in conjunction with the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. Now, LG Display and AU Optronics both currently supply 1,024-by-768 panels for the iPad mini, and iDB last week heard the latter has already started mass producing Retina panels for the second-generation iPad mini.

With LG Display and Japan Display now reportedly having been added to the mix - and with leaks like this purported back shell - all signs point to Apple lining up its suppliers ahead of manufacturing, usually a tell-tale sign that the official announcement is around the corner. And if the iPad mini 2 is in fact looming, we're probably looking at a summer launch at WWDC...

iTV could use LG Display’s OLED panels

LG Display, a major Apple supplier that makes high-resolution screens for the iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and redesigned iMacs, plans to allocate more than 706 billion won, or approximately $656.7 million, toward building organic light emitting diode (OLED) screens for high-definition television sets by the end of June 2014, according to The Wall Street Journal. The investment will allow LG Display to make some 26,000 sheets per month for customers seeking 55-inch or larger television screens.

It was recently revealed that Apple hired LG Display's OLED expert Dr. Jueng Jil Lee. Another clue: Apple already holds several patents involving flexible OLEDs, OLED based BLUs for LCDs, OLED control schemes and others...

Apple hires OLED expert from LG Display

Amidst growing rumors of Apple working on a larger-screened iPhone and a full-sized TV set, comes news today that the Cupertino company has hired a high-profile executive to join its prestigious Display group.

His name is Dr. Jeung Jil Lee, and he's a former senior OLED (organic light-emitting diode) expert from LG Display. The hiring reignites speculation that Apple is considering using the display tech in its products...

iPad mini is on fire: Apple moving 12M units in Q1

Days after reports suggesting shorter delays for Apple's iPad mini comes rumors the company could ship about 11 million of the 7.9-inch tablets during the first quarter of 2013. The potential reason: an improved supply chain from China's factories producing the device.

At last week's earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said iPad mini shipments were constrained during the all-important holiday period. While in December there was a week delay shipping the tablet, the shipping wait had fallen to 3-5 days by mid-January. The shortened shipping time was likely the precursor of today's rumor about first quarter demand...

Loss of Samsung screens apparently hurting iPad mini production

Questions of whether Apple can supply enough iPad minis to meet demand continue to linger. After cutting ties with Samsung for its displays, one of the two alternative suppliers reportedly face production problems. All of which makes the executives at Cupertino nervous amid Cyber Monday mania.

Apple reportedly chose LG Display and AU Optronics to replace Samsung. As we reportedly last week, LG Display makes most of the displays for the iPad mini, which is widely viewed as a top pick among Christmas shoppers. However, now comes a report out of Asia that AU Optronics is having problems producing the displays...

The majority of iPad mini screens are made by LG Display, not Samsung

The vast majority of iPad mini units incorporate a 7.9-inch screen manufactured by LG Display, a report out of Asia claims. AU Optronics, another Apple supplier, is said to be responsible for a much smaller portion of orders as it reportedly continues to suffer from poor yields in the production of panels.

The news is another indication of Apple distancing itself from Samsung. Remember, Samsung was originally the primary supplier of Retina screens for the third-generation iPad, until LG Display stole the Apple account in August. The Galaxy maker also lost out on the iPhone 5 front to rival panel makers, although the company still manufactures chips for Apple devices...

Teardown of 4th gen iPad reveals LG Retina display and more

With the newly-unveiled fourth generation iPad now on sale in some parts of the globe, the inevitable teardowns have begun. As usual, iFixit was first on scene, and has posted a detailed breakdown of the tablet's innards.

As you might expect, there aren't many internal differences between the new iPad and the one Apple launched 6 months ago. But it does have a new processor, and a few other changes, so it's certainly worth taking a look at...

LG Display beats Samsung handily for Apple display orders

According to a new supply chain report, LG Display beat its arch-rival Samsung for display panel orders and has now become the primary supplier of screens that Apple uses to build virtually all of its recently refreshed products.

Specifically, LG Display is said to provide panels for the new iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad with Retina display, 13-inch MacBook Pro and both 21.5 and 27-inch revamped iMac models. This is of particular interest to would-be shoppers eyeing the iPad mini because "frustrated suppliers", per one analyst, previously had issues meeting Apple's exacting standards...

Report: Apple’s in-cell displays causing iPhone 5 delays

The answer to the question 'where's my iPhone 5?' may have an answer. The smartphone's advanced display technology is so complex that one supplier was slowed by defective screens, one Wall Street analyst said Tuesday.

To produce the iPhone 5's display using in-cell technology, Apple relied on two suppliers: LG Display and Sharp, Barclays told Bloomberg. The in-cell display allowed Apple to combine the touchscreen layer with the display layer, giving consumers a slimmer handset profile and improve color quality. However, due to problems controlling defects, Sharp only began shipping screens for the iPhone 5 after the device went on sale.

LG Display shuns Samsung, becomes prime supplier of Retina iPad panels

More cracks are beginning to show in the Apple-Samsung partnership as the South Korean conglomerate's component arm lost a significant amount of orders to rival LG Display. Coincidentally or not, the news arrives in the aftermath of the $1 billion ruling in the Apple v. Samsung trial. Samsung used to be the prime supplier of high-resolution Retina panels for Apple's third-generation iPad, but no longer.

Seeking ways to reduce its dependency on Samsung, Apple reportedly shifted panel orders to LG Display. It's not just a minor re-shuffling: Samsung last month saw iPad panel orders reduced to just 28 percent of its July output. We've seen what order stoppage rumors can do to market cap. I'd watch Samsung's share price closely these days...

Sharp, others steal iPhone 5 display biz from Samsung

There has been much speculation concerning who will be supplying screens for Apple's just announced iPhone 5. The mystery is solved, if you believe a new Wall Street Journal report that named LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp as suppliers of four-inch in-cell display panels for the device. Surprisingly, the newspaper made no mention of Samsung, which supplies Retina display for the third-generation iPad and previous iOS devices...