14 DAY TRIAL // Sources in the Far East are estimating that Apple will continue to let go of Samsung on the LCD front until it no longer supplies any displays for its iProducts. The iPad mini 2 is likely to arrive in the first half of 2013 with a Retina-grade screen, these sources said.
Citing the unnamed insiders, trade-publication DigiTimes confirms that LG Display (LGD) remains the largest panel supplier in Apple's all-new iPad mini, “as AU Optronics (AUO) continues to suffer from poor yields in the production of panels for the devices,” according to industry sources cited by the Taiwanese site.
Both LG and AUO have been pinpointed as Apple’s key iPad mini display suppliers. The duo shipped about four million panels for the diminutive tablet PC in November alone, the sources said.
“And judging from shipments thus far, LGD is still supplying most of the panels for the iPad mini,” the sources said, according to the trend-observing DigiTimes.
It also cites market sources who have speculated that “Apple is likely to introduce a next-generation iPad mini in the second half of 2013.” The updated mini is expected to boast a Retina display, according to these sources.
The same people added that while the panels produced by LG Display are made with In-Plane Switch (IPS) technology, those churned out by AU Optronics are being built with AHVA technology, which stands for Advanced Hyper-Viewing Angle.
Having successfully developed AHVA panels ranging from 3 inches to 15.6 inches, AUO already ships these screens for a full array of mobile device applications (digital cameras, smartphones, e-readers, car displays, tablets and Ultrabooks).
The company’s 4.97-inch Full HD AHVA Mobile Display has been in mass production since October. The panel is made with an LTPS process and has a full HD resolution of 1080x1920 at 443ppi (pixels per inch), which goes well beyond Apple’s Retina spec.