Samsung continues to lose out on Apple’s component dollars, as a new report says that most of the screen orders for the new iPad mini, 4th-generation iPad, 13-in MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and the redesigned iMacs have gone to LG Display.
The details come from a new report from DigiTimes on Thursday, which cited its usual industry sources. Additional iPad mini panels are also said to be provided by AU Optronics.
The iPad mini LCD displays from LG reportedly use in-plane switching technology, like the full-sized iPad. AU Optronics screens are said to use “AHVA technology,” which is the company’s own proprietary Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle display feature.
Most of the orders for the screens have been placed with LG, as AU Optronics is reportedly having issues producing the panels.
When the third-generation iPad with Retina Display was launched earlier this year, suppliers such as LG had problems producing the displays in large enough numbers, which left Apple with only Samsung as the main supplier for screens for its 9.7-inch tablet.
DigiTimes also reported on Thursday that the $329 starting price of the iPad mini is because of low yield numbers for the touchscreen used in the device. The device’s GF DITO, or GF2, touch screen technology, which allows the screen to be thinner than the full-size iPad, is reported to be the culprit.
The publication says that “industry sources” tell it that the DITO film sensor faces issues in mass production. The screens only cost about $5 less than the displays Apple uses in the full-size iPad.
The report also states that orders for the $399 iPad 2 have “visibility” through Q1 of 2013, saying steady sales of the device have led Apple to keep it around for awhile longer.
