Light leaks with LG iPad 2 displays make Samsung Apple's new primary supplier

After LG screens for the iPad 2 exhibited issues with light leakage at launch, Apple shifted most of its touchscreen purchases instead to Samsung.

Samsung shipped four million 9.7-inch panels for the iPad in the first quarter, according to DigiTimes. That total put it ahead of rival LG Display and made Samsung the largest touchscreen supplier for Apple.

LG only shipped 3.2 million units in the quarter, as there was a light leakage problem with panels produced at the company's sixth-generation production lines. Sources told the Taiwanese publication that LG has addressed issues with light leakage, and "shipment momentum" is expected to return to the company in the second quarter.

After the iPad 2 launched in March, some users reported issues with light leaks and yellowing on the tablet's 9.7-inch display. Some early iPad 2 units showed light leaking onto the screen around its bezel when displaying a dark image, sometimes referred to as a "flashlight effect."

Apple experienced crushing demand for the iPad 2 after it debuted, and has continued to struggle in restocking units. Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook referred to the situation in his company's quarterly earnings conference call as "the mother of all backlogs."

He also admitted that he wishes Apple could have produced a lot more iPad 2 units, as the company sold every device it managed to manufacture following its launch window. But he stopped short of confirming any specific component issues or shortages in the manufacturing process.

"Demand has been staggering, and I'm not going to predict when supply and demand will come into balance," he said. "I can only be confident on the supply side.

LG launches Optimus Big smartphone in Korea

KOREAN PHONE MAKER LG has launched its LG Optimus Big smartphone in its home country, which is so named because of its large 4.3in display.
We don't particularly like the name Big so we hope LG will change it if it brings the phone over to the UK. It's main feature is of course its massive 4.3in screen, which means it will be a rival for handsets like the HTC Desire HD.
Reports say that this rather large display uses NOVA technology, which apparently produces a brighter picture than AMOLED and consumes less power. Behind the scenes the Optimus Big apparently has a 1Ghz dual core processor like the Optimus 2X that LG has recently released.
There is a 5MP rear camera that isn't quite as good as the Optimus 2X 8MP camera. Like the 2X the Big will come with Android 2.2 Froyo instead of 2.3 Gingerbread, but LG apparently will provide an update to Gingerbread after launch.
That's all we know at the moment, but we expect the phone to have specifications similar to those of the Optimus 2X, which has 512MB or RAM, miniHDMI output and a 1.3MP front facing camera.
We contacted LG to see if the handset will appear in UK but it was unable to provide any details at the moment. We can't see any reason why LG won't bring the Optimus Big to the UK, but in the meantime look for our upcoming review of the dual core Optimus 2X.