Sharp to Begin Retina Display Shipments for New iPad

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sharp Corporation is still trying to ramp up production of displays for Apple's new iPad and expects to start shipments "as soon as possible".

The panels are to be used in Apple Inc.'s new iPad, according to people familiar the matter. The first batch of the U.S. company's newest tablet, released Friday, were not equipped with Sharp's LCD panels after the Japanese company faced difficulty in customizing the screens according to Apple's requirements, one of the people said last week

There has been some debate about Apple's suppliers for the new iPad display. The initial batch seems to be supplied solely by Samsung, but both Sharp and LG are reportedly expected to provide displays as well.

Despite a single display supplier, Apple seems to have been able to produce enough inventory of the new iPad to avoid sell-outs despite what Apple described as a "record weekend".

colors
Left to Right: iPad 3, iPad 3 (Yellow), iPad 2 (via Fry-man22)

Since the 3rd Generation iPad's launch, response to the new high resolution Retina display has been quite positive. There have been sporadic reports of defective yellow-tinged displays (see above) that have prompted some replacements. The new iPad screen has been described as slightly "warmer" than the iPad 2 screen, but comparison shots show a much larger difference in what are believed to be defective screens.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...

Top Rated Comments

zin Avatar
171 months ago
The infamous yellow tint makes a return.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rocko1 Avatar
171 months ago
People are SO used to overly hot displays with bright blue torch-cast that when you have a properly calibrated 6500 degree display they think it looks yellow.

I am personally convinced that a lot of 'yellow tinged' display returns were actually the most accurate displays these people had in their life and just didn't realize it because they were so acclimatized to blue-tinted displays.

THAT SAID - some people genuinely did receive defective yellow displays especially on iMacs.

I have seen many piss yellow displays. A pure white background is yellowish. White objects in pictures are yellowish, black objects are grayish. This is in no way 'accurate'.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toddybody Avatar
171 months ago
Well, look on the bright side...customer's can choose from a "cool" Samsung model or "warm"/yellow tint of the Sharp.

Im fine with the Samsung personally :)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
clibinarius Avatar
171 months ago
Why did you use quotes? Did you even read the article?

Some fanboys simply don't want to admit that Apple and Samsung don't hate each other and are strategic partners on top of competitors. Its not a zero-sum game. If you hate Samsung, just stop buying Apple products. Its that simple. Or petition Apple to find other suppliers.

Not, if you don't mind, I'm going to enjoy my new iPad with its Samsung/Toshiba/Qualcomm guts and be quite happy about it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonstatt Avatar
171 months ago
At the moment there are NO Sharp screens.

Right now there are ONLY Samsung screens.

The problem is the colour temperature varies enormously between these Samsung iPad 3s....Its not just blue or yellow but all the shades inbetween! Every iPad 3 appears to be a bit different.

What the true intention is, I have no idea.

And as for the glue drying. This is nonsense, sorry. It keeps getting repeated over and over on here for every product release. This applied to a certain batch of iPhones a couple of years ago that left the factory so quickly the glue hadn't dried. Most of the iPad 3s were manufactured weeks if not months ago so this is not the issue.

LEDs can change a bit over time and some may improve very slightly or get worse depending on how they age (and yes LEDs do change brightness and colour slightly with age). But if its very yellow, it will always be yellow...sorry.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kolax Avatar
171 months ago
Hope the Sharp panels are up to scratch.

Say what you want about Sammy, but they make the best panels out there. If I had a choice when I bought a new MacBook Pro, I'd want a Samsung in there.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)