With only 15 days remaining until Apple’s January 27th media event at the Yerba Buena in San Francisco and the tablet rumor’s a’flyin’, an asian component supplier has stated that Apple has puchased all 10.1″ multi-touch LCD and OLED display panels for the near future.
Per TG Daily, an anonymous designer has confirmed that the 10.1″ screen size is currently unavailable, as Apple has supposedly ordered so many screens that the parts cannot be purchased by anyone else.
“We were designing a product for a customer and we needed 10-inch screens,” the source allegedly said, “but we’ve been trying for months and can’t get one from any of the Asian suppliers.”
OLEDs, or organic light-emitting diodes, deliver color pictures without the need for a backlight. They consume less energy and provide a superior picture. Such screens have been a popular choice for Apple competitors of late, with Microsoft using one for its Zune HD, and Google for its Nexus One smartphone.
Although the technology is superior, it’s also expensive. In November, one report suggested an OLED-based Apple tablet would cost between US$1,500 and US$1,700 to build based on current prices. It was then predicted an OLED tablet would cost about US$2,000.
However, the still-unannounced Apple tablet is widely expected to have a final price of less than US$1,000. Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray believes Apple could sell 1.4 million devices at an average selling price of US$600.
In December, analyst Yair Reiner with Oppenheimer specifically disputed the claims of an OLED screen. He said checks within Apple’s supply chain have said the device will use a 10.1″ multi-touch display using LTPS LCD technology (the same technology as seen on the iPhone). Reiner then went on to state that he expects an average selling price of US$1,000.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and feel free, as always, to hurl your two cents in on this.