Apple Asks LG Display for Urgent Supply of LCD Panels to Meet iPad Demand in Asia - MacRumors
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Apple Asks LG Display for Urgent Supply of LCD Panels to Meet iPad Demand in Asia

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Apple has asked LG Display to urgently supply LCD panels for iPads, following a surge in orders for tablet PCs and laptop monitors in the wake of the global health crisis, reports Business Korea.

china ipads retail store

Apple has recently asked LG Display to supply LCD panels for the iPad fast. LG Display is expected to start supplying them as early as June by operating the production lines at full throttle.

Apple originally cut orders for the second quarter of this year in anticipation of significantly reduced contraction in the market following the health crisis.

However, by March iPad stocks were reportedly running low in China, as parents bought them to help with e-learning at home in response to school closures.

In normal circumstances, this would be positive news for Apple, but with suppliers severely affected by the global health crisis, the company was unable to keep ‌‌‌iPad‌‌‌ stocks plentiful to meet the increased demand because of local labor shortages amid government-imposed lockdown restrictions.

Apple's request is unusual given that suppliers are typically given at least three months advance notice so they can source raw materials and manufacture products.

However, "Since BOE of China and Sharp of Japan are also major suppliers of panels for the Apple ‌iPad‌, LG Display needs to respond quickly to Apple's request not to lose the order to its rivals,” an industry insider told the paper.

Samsung Display is expected to provide nearly 80 percent of the OLED displays used in this year's "iPhone 12" lineup, while LG Display and BOE are expected to split the display supplies for the low-end 6.1-inch model, with LG supplying the vast majority with 18-23 million panels and BOE providing two million.

Tag: China

Top Rated Comments

Darth Tulhu Avatar
82 months ago
I expect a ramp-up in sales now that trackpad support has FINALLY arrived.

But MAN, my agony over whether or not to get an iPad to replace my Macs continues.

I really want one, but another kink in the hose is backing the iPad up.

They're not as self-contained as they should be and you basically need a Mac (or PC) for offline backup, unless you do it via the files app, which doesn't seem ideal.

I really hope Apple fully makes these completely independent with iPadOS 14. This WWDC can't come soon enough.

The harder I look, the better (fit for me) the MBA seems.

I get the keyboard and trackpad for "free", more ports, output to multiple external monitors, far more OS flexibility, plug and play for almost everything, easy backup, plugs into my existing infrastructure with minimum effort.

Buuut, Catalina, no touchscreen, no pencil, the lesser performance, the INFERIOR screen, no handheld, heavier, less FUN...argh!!!

So, more RAM, ability to output to 2 monitors (natively without mirroring), and full Mac independence. The three missing links for me.

Maybe I'm just getting impatient because the iPad is so close. SO CLOSE. And I've been waiting for SO LONG!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
techno-Zen Avatar
82 months ago
Hey Apple, see what happens when you add trackpad support to and iPad?? Demand skyrockets!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DNichter Avatar
82 months ago
Good to see, can't wait for iPadOS updates this year. I forgot WWDC is coming up. I remember that was all about macOS updates for me, now it is all iPadOS. Clearly the future.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
82 months ago
Imagine how many they would sell with a proper file system.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago
iPads are really perfect for remote learning, because they're mostly self-manageable. And they're cheap, relatively speaking. Why buy a crippled chromebook when you can get an iPad for a bit more? Sure it's 32GB, but it's fine for kids. And you can use it for other stuff, like Netflix and games.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
82 months ago
They must be selling loads then.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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