Apple still turning to Samsung for the panels to the Apple iPad

It has to be the strangest love-hate relationship in the world. On one hand, you have Apple and Samsung fighting it out in court with teeth gnashing and briefs flying (LEGAL briefs, of course). On the flip side, you have Apple buying parts from Samsung to build the very devices that the Korean manufacturer is trying to blow away in the marketplace. After years of speculation, this past June reports surfaced that Apple had finally inked a deal with TSMC to replace Samsung as the provider of Ax processors. According to the report, Apple will still stick with Samsung built processors this year turning to its new source of silicon next year.

Another area where Apple is still apparently relying on Samsung is with displays for the Apple iPad. Apple has turned to LG Display and Sharp, but a research note from NPD DisplaySearch reveals that in April and again in June of this year, the Cupertino based firm bought more glass from Samsung than from LG. The reports even indicate a growing reliance by Apple on Samsung with 2.3 million panels obtained from Sammy in the first quarter, and 4.1 million panels picked up in Q2.

The latest word is that Samsung will be manufacturing the higher-resolution display for the next iteration of the Apple iPad mini, although it is still unknown whether these will feature a Retina display. This comes despite earlier reports that LG Display, Sharp and AUO would be building the displays for the next version of Apple's 7.9 inch slate.

source: NPDDisplaySearch via TheRegister