The trial production of Apple Inc’s iPad 3 will begin in October, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal which says Apple is already working closely with its component suppliers and manufacturing partner in Asia.
The WSJ said Apple had already completed its component order for everything from chips to displays for the new iPad, although Asian source DigiTimes claims there may still be some room for flexibility when it comes to final ordering.
DigiTimes points out that the upcoming iPad will be far more demanding in terms of resolution, requiring a 9.7-inch panel with resolution of 2,048×1,536 compared to the iPad 2’s 1,024×768.
This has caused yield issues for many Taiwanese panel makers, as well as for Apple’s longstanding Korean suppliers Samsung Electronics and LG.
Sources at DigiTimes now claim that Japan’s Sharp will be Apple’s main LCD supplier though others may stand a chance if they can rapidly prove the ability to reach the quality level and yield Apple requires.
The new iPad is due out in the first quarter of 2012, says the WSJ, though Apple wouldn’t comment on the report.
