Apple visit to LG reported

A reported visit by Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, to LG Display last month has prompted speculation that the world’s second-largest maker of liquid crystal displays may supply the display panels for the new 4G iPhone.

Cook met with LG’s top executives and visited its production facilities in Paju, Gyeonggi, the Maeil Economic Daily reported yesterday.

LG already provides the display panel for the iPad, Apple’s tablet computer, which hit stores in the United States in April. The LG panels have “in-plane switching” technology, said to allow enhanced viewing angles and touch technology.

The new iPhone 4G model, expected to be unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next Tuesday in California, has been rumored to feature a panel with a wider viewing angle and better clarity.

While LG officials have refused to confirm whether Cook visited the company, an industry source said “considering Cook’s position at Apple, his visit signals a strengthened partnership with LG.”

Apple announced on Monday that sales of the iPad exceeded 2 million units less than two months after its release.

LG Display announced yesterday it will partner with two Taiwanese companies - Everlight Electronics and Amtran Technology - to establish a $30 million joint venture in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province in China.

Faced with a shortage of LED packages, key components for its LED-backlit LCD panels, amid rising global demand, LG is hoping the new venture will provide sufficient supplies of the components.

Everlight Electronics is one of the world’s major LED packaging firms, while Amtran Technology makes flat screen displays for computers and TVs.

By Kim Hyung-eun [hkim@joongang.co.kr]