Tuesday, August 30, 2011

iPad 3 Production To Start in October, Samsung Ousted as Component Supplier?

When it comes to hardware news, it is not only the iPhone 5 who has been grabbing the headlines lately because its tablet sibling, the iPad is getting quite a bit of coverage as well. Just last week we have covered a report that Apple has already started the production of the iPad 3 and is about to enter trial phase by the last quarter of this year. Now according to a report, Apple's suppliers will start assembling the iPad 3 except Samsung.
As you may already have known, major hardware companies such as Apple do not make and assemble their own products. Instead they outsource the manufacturing and assembly process to their partners who are usually based in Asia. This is presumably to cut down on manufacturing cost and to enable them to focus on other aspects like research and development. As of this moment, the companies that are in-charge of building the displays for the iPad are Samsung and LG Display. Now according to the report, LG Display will continue to supply the display for the iPad while Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd will take care of assembly. Take note that the South Korean company Samsung seems to be out of the picture.
Samsung is also currently the supplier of the A4 and A5 processor chips which are used to power the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 respectively. There have been previous reports as well that Apple might be axing the South Korea-based with regards to their involvement as a prospective supplier of the A6 chip which is rumored to power the iPad 3. Apple has allegedly contracted other suppliers who will be providing the said chip. Now this is either just a measure of the Cupertino company to have secondary suppliers to prevent production mishaps or it could a step to phase out the involvement of Samsung with the company altogether.
If this report is any indication, it is highly likely that Samsung won't be involved in the manufacturing process of the iPad 3. As of now, Apple can't just oust Samsung because of the latter's intellectual properties being the main supplier of the A4 and A5 chips. So why take Samsung out of the picture? Well, Apple and Samsung isn't exactly at the best of terms lately. For the past months, both companies are currently under legal battle against each other over Samsung's alleged infringement of Apple's intellectual properties with the former's Galaxy Tab which is in direct competition with the iPad. So it is understandable for Apple not to do business with its main competitor.
The iPad 3 is said to enter trial production by October which means that it will be produced in limited quantities for the purpose of testing. The next Apple tablet is expected to launch next year which falls in-line with the same release cycle as the previous iPad. The iPad 3 is rumored to be powered by the new A6 chip and will be supporting a higher resolution screen. [via AppAdvice]

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