OLED Screen In iPad 3? No Way, Say Sources

Tweet

A few days ago, it was reported that Apple COO and acting CEO Tim Cook was flying to Korea to meet with senior Samsung execs, and that he was (get this) penning a deal to secure Samsung OLED displays in the iPad 3. Obviously would be big news, considering that OLED displays are great. But, now it’s being rumored that Apple is finalizing the parts to be used in the iPad 3, and an OLED display isn’t among them.

DigiTimes is reporting that Apple has begun certifying which components will make it into the next iPad (which they are calling the iPad 3). DigiTimes’ sources inside the Taiwan manufacturing scene say that Apple will not be using OLED screens in the next iPad, a contradiction of the news that Tim Cook was flying to meet Samsung. That was reported by multiple, credible sites.

According to their sources, Apple will not be going with Korea’s Samsung or LG for the displays in the next iPad. Instead, they’ll be going with China’s Chimei Innolux. It’ll apparently be an LCD panel, as Apple is said to have already picked out and certified an LED backlighting unit for the next iPad. Although Samsung, Sony and these other OLED producers have been increasing their OLED production capacity, there still are supply issues, and it’s hard to imagine a device as popular as the iPad 3 using OLED displays. According to the Tim Cook-Samsung rumors, Samsung was going to set up a new production line just for the iPad OLED displays at one of their factories. Oh well. No word if Apple’s decision not to go with Samsung was because of the ongoing legal dispute between the two companies.

Don’t think with all this talk about the iPad 3 that it’s coming sometime soon. DT’s source reports that the iPad 2 is on pace to come out sometime in 2012 – probably in the Spring when we have seen the first two iPads come out.