iPad 3 Retina Display Difficulties Exclude Some Suppliers
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We’ve heard for awhile that the component parts of Apple’s iPads are difficult and time consuming to manufacture, and that appears to be true of the iPad 3 that is soon to be in production as well.
According to a report from DigiTimes, production company Chinmei Innolux (CMI) has had technical difficulties producing the LCD panel that will be used for the iPad 3, and therefore, will not be used as a supplier for Apple.
CMI has produced LCD screens for the iPad 2, which use in-plane switching panels, but Apple’s upcoming iPad 3 requires a higher resolution. Rumors say that it will feature a 9.7 inch panel with a 2048×1536 resolution, while the current iPad 2 is only 1024×768.
When developing panels to meet the requirements of the iPad 3, CMI had problems with transmittance and yield rates, thus failing to receive certification to manufacture components for the iPad 3.
The iPad 3’s resolution is a challenge for other suppliers as well, such as LG Display and Samsung Electronics, the only two companies selected to produce LCD panels besides Japan Sharp.
Earlier this week we reported that the iPad 3 had been allegedly delayed from its fall 2011 release to an early 2012 release, and these retina display manufacturing difficulties are at the heart of the problem. This new report certainly lends credence to the news that Apple’s display manufacturers are having trouble reaching target numbers. Hopefully Apple’s suppliers will up their manufacturing capabilities before the iPad 3’s release date rolls around, or we may be seeing more of the serious shortages and several weeks of delay that surrounded the release of the iPad 2.
