Three out of four Apple Inc.’s mega hit tablet computer iPads are equipped with liquid crystal display

panels manufactured by South Korea’s LG Display Co. amid the heated patent row between Apple and Samsung Electronics Co., industry data showed Monday.

According to data by research firm DisplaySearch, the global shipments of 9.7-inch LCD panels used for Apple’s fourth-generation iPad and iPad 2 came to 5.92 million units in October.

The number of 9.7-inch panels produced by LG Display reached 4.25 million units last month, accounting for 71.8 percent of the world’s total shipments, up from 886,000 units in March with a 24 percent share, said the data.

However, shipments of Samsung Display Co. dived to 428,000 units, or 7.2 percent, from 2.58 million units and a 70 percent share over the same period.

For the 7.9-inch panels made for the smaller iPad mini, LG Display shipped 1.74 million units last month, taking up 77.7 percent of the world’s total shipments of 2.24 million.

LG Display’s total market share in both 9.7-inch and 7.9-inch panels, which are only used in the iPad series tablets, reached 73.4 percent, with Samsung Display getting a mere 5.2 percent.

Apple’s iPad took up 50.4 percent of the world’s tablet PC market share in the July-September period.

Industry insiders attribute the change in the display panel market to Apple’s recent attempts to reduce its dependency upon Samsung products and diversify its suppliers. The U.S. tech giant is battling against Samsung Electronics around the world over smartphone patent rights.

Against this backdrop, LG Display’s share in the entire tablet PC panel market rose to 40 percent, or 7.48 million units, in October from 23 percent, or 1.74 million, in March. Meanwhile, Samsung Display saw a sharp drop in its market share, from 41.2 percent to 21.9 percent.

Total shipments of LCD panels for tablet PCs soared 95.9 percent on-year to 18.7 million units in October. 

(Yonhap News)