Sharp to Begin Retina Display Shipments for New iPad - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Sharp to Begin Retina Display Shipments for New iPad

The Wall Street Journal reports that Sharp Corporation is still trying to ramp up production of displays for Apple's new iPad and expects to start shipments "as soon as possible".

The panels are to be used in Apple Inc.'s new iPad, according to people familiar the matter. The first batch of the U.S. company's newest tablet, released Friday, were not equipped with Sharp's LCD panels after the Japanese company faced difficulty in customizing the screens according to Apple's requirements, one of the people said last week

There has been some debate about Apple's suppliers for the new iPad display. The initial batch seems to be supplied solely by Samsung, but both Sharp and LG are reportedly expected to provide displays as well.

Despite a single display supplier, Apple seems to have been able to produce enough inventory of the new iPad to avoid sell-outs despite what Apple described as a "record weekend".

colors
Left to Right: iPad 3, iPad 3 (Yellow), iPad 2 (via Fry-man22)

Since the 3rd Generation iPad's launch, response to the new high resolution Retina display has been quite positive. There have been sporadic reports of defective yellow-tinged displays (see above) that have prompted some replacements. The new iPad screen has been described as slightly "warmer" than the iPad 2 screen, but comparison shots show a much larger difference in what are believed to be defective screens.

Popular Stories

iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Just Released a New Product

Thursday July 2, 2026 8:04 am PDT by
Apple's first product release of summer 2026 occurred this week, but do not get too excited, as it is merely the Beats Solo Buds in a new color. Beats Solo Buds are now offered in orange through Best Buy in the U.S., with availability set to expand to 7-Eleven stores in Japan on July 4. Apple already offered orange Solo Buds in India for free with the purchase of an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 ...
iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Apple Facing One of Its Worst Leaks Since the iPhone 4

Thursday July 2, 2026 9:53 am PDT by
Apple supplier Tata Electronics recently suffered a cyberattack that resulted in thousands of confidential files being published on the dark web, and this reportedly included some photos and documents related to the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. We have elected not to share any of the leaked photos in this story due to the illegal nature in which they were obtained, but they can easily be found...

Top Rated Comments

187 months ago
The infamous yellow tint makes a return.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rocko1 Avatar
187 months ago
People are SO used to overly hot displays with bright blue torch-cast that when you have a properly calibrated 6500 degree display they think it looks yellow.

I am personally convinced that a lot of 'yellow tinged' display returns were actually the most accurate displays these people had in their life and just didn't realize it because they were so acclimatized to blue-tinted displays.

THAT SAID - some people genuinely did receive defective yellow displays especially on iMacs.

I have seen many piss yellow displays. A pure white background is yellowish. White objects in pictures are yellowish, black objects are grayish. This is in no way 'accurate'.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
toddybody Avatar
187 months ago
Well, look on the bright side...customer's can choose from a "cool" Samsung model or "warm"/yellow tint of the Sharp.

Im fine with the Samsung personally :)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
187 months ago
Why did you use quotes? Did you even read the article?

Some fanboys simply don't want to admit that Apple and Samsung don't hate each other and are strategic partners on top of competitors. Its not a zero-sum game. If you hate Samsung, just stop buying Apple products. Its that simple. Or petition Apple to find other suppliers.

Not, if you don't mind, I'm going to enjoy my new iPad with its Samsung/Toshiba/Qualcomm guts and be quite happy about it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
187 months ago
At the moment there are NO Sharp screens.

Right now there are ONLY Samsung screens.

The problem is the colour temperature varies enormously between these Samsung iPad 3s....Its not just blue or yellow but all the shades inbetween! Every iPad 3 appears to be a bit different.

What the true intention is, I have no idea.

And as for the glue drying. This is nonsense, sorry. It keeps getting repeated over and over on here for every product release. This applied to a certain batch of iPhones a couple of years ago that left the factory so quickly the glue hadn't dried. Most of the iPad 3s were manufactured weeks if not months ago so this is not the issue.

LEDs can change a bit over time and some may improve very slightly or get worse depending on how they age (and yes LEDs do change brightness and colour slightly with age). But if its very yellow, it will always be yellow...sorry.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
187 months ago
Hope the Sharp panels are up to scratch.

Say what you want about Sammy, but they make the best panels out there. If I had a choice when I bought a new MacBook Pro, I'd want a Samsung in there.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)