As Apple continues to have supply issues with the high-resolution Retina displays for their best-selling iPad, it looks like Samsung will remain their primary supplier for the near future.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with KGI Securities revealed to AppleInsider on Monday that Samsung was the sole supplier of iPad Retina displays to Apple in the first quarter of 2012. That’s consistent with earlier reports, but also reveals that only Samsung was able to provide high-resolution screens to Apple for the entirety of the quarter.
It’s likely that Samsung remains the sole iPad Retina display supplier. Kuo said LG Display is expected to begin providing screens in the second quarter of calendar 2012, but didn’t indicate that Sharp has actually begun providing displays.
Samsung should still remain the main supplier of the screens, even after LG does enter the supply chain. Kuo said the the other main display provider, Sharp, won’t be able to create the Retina displays at a “normal rate” until 3rd quarter 2012.
Kuo expects sales of 18.6 million total iPad units in the second quarter of calendar 2012, as Retina display production improves.