The Wall Street Journal offers their own sources that confirm that Apple will be using Sharp as a source of display parts for the upcoming iPad 3.
Apple Inc. is adding Sharp Corp. as a maker of screens used in the next-generation iPad, people familiar with the situation said Thursday, as the U.S. consumer electronics company moves to diversify component suppliers for its products.
According to their source, Apple is also investing in Sharp's panel manufacturing factories in Japan to ensure it can get enough supplies for its iOS devices.
Sharp already supplies iPhone panels and is also said to be supplying panels for the next iPhone which is also due next year.
Sharp has been mentioned a number of times by various rumors as a new source of iPad screens for Apple. A recent analyst report said that production of iPad 3 screens was already underway and included Samsung, LG and Sharp.
Then, just on Wednesday, another analyst reported that Sharp may actually be supplying Apple with specially designed screens for the iPad 3. According to that report, Apple and Sharp have developed a new technology to allow a thinner high resolution display for the next iPad. Finally, Sharp may also be involved in Apple's television set plans, also supplying parts for that project as well.
Thursday February 26, 2026 6:06 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple CEO Tim Cook today teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday. His post included an #AppleLaunch hashtag with a colorful Apple logo, along with a short video that ultimately shows an Apple logo on the lid of a Mac.
Apple is reportedly planning a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4, with up to five new products...
Wednesday February 25, 2026 5:37 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has submitted production line orders for its upcoming foldable iPhone, effectively confirming that the device will launch this year, claims a Chinese leaker.
According to the Weibo account "Fixed Focus Digital," assembly lines recently received the orders from Apple, which has apparently allowed the leaker to learn the crease measurements for the device's 7.8-inch inner display....
Wednesday February 25, 2026 3:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a new MacBook Pro that could launch next week ahead of the "Special Experience" planned for March 4, so we thought we'd highlight all of the rumors about the device so far.
Design
There are no rumors of design changes, and we are expecting the upcoming M5 MacBook Pro models to look just like the M4 versions. Apple will continue to offer 14-inch and 16-inch size options,...
Quadrupling the screen resolution is one hell of a "bump". I've never been interested in an iPad but that will certainly change if they deliver resolution at that level.
Do we really need retina display iPad's? I think it's fine for iPod Touch and iPhone since the screens are smaller, but hell that high res display on my iPad 2 looks fine. OK so there's a market for design pro's who want to show off their portfolios but otherwise I don't see it being much beyond marketing hype. There needs to be more then that.
I'm sure someone out there will be like "What about Farmville in HD??".
I think I'd rather see a retina display upgrade in the MacBook Air sooner then the iPad.
Or even better, just merge the iPad and MacBook Air. Allow me to remove the screen from an Air and have it be an iPad.
I have a feeling you don't use or like the iPad, as your main example is Farmville. Forget gaming. Have you looked at a webpage, or tried to read any text on the iPad? It's worse than a computer monitor. You see every pixel, every bit of anti-aliasing.
Think of magazines especially. The text and the photos will be amazing, to the point where using the iPad in place of a traditional periodical might be BETTER, not worse.
The iphone/ipod touch argument doesn't work because the size of the graphics are the same, it's the pixel density that changes, the clarity. Text is the same size, icons are the same size, it just all looks BETTER when you don't see pixels. It's easier to read and less strain. That applies to ALL screens, no matter the size.
God, this is like the same argument when people said the iPhone didn't need a retina display........ :mad:
