The Retinal LCD panels are in such short supply that Apple has been forced to turn to an unlikely source to help fill the void. Sources claim that Apple has turned to Samsung to supply Retina LCD panels to help fill the demand for the iPad mini Retina that is expected to be very strong this holiday season.
According to sources in Japan, Sharp and LG who are the current manufactures and suppliers of the 7.9 inch Retina LCD panel to Apple simply can’t meet the demand. Rumors continue that much of the issue has to do with low panel yields and neither Sharp or LG will confirm that this in fact is the problem.
The shortage has forced Apple to place an order with Samsung to supply a number of panels for the Retina iPad mini, but it is expected that those panels will not arrive till at least next year. This mean that our original prediction that the latest iPad mini with the Retina display is likely to be on constraint during the majority of the holiday season making it one of the tougher finds this holiday season. Apple has only indicated publically that it is unclear if there would be enough inventory of the new iPad mini to meet demand this quarter.
Apple has yet to confirm an official launch date for the Retina iPad mini and they have only indicated that they expect that it will be on shelves in November.
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