back to article Apple can't dump Samsung, it needs those iPad displays – report

Apple and Samsung's unhappy union could be set to continue as it emerged that the fruity firm still depends on its arch-enemy to supply its display screens. According to a research note by NPD DisplaySearch, Apple bought more 9.7 inch screen panels from Samsung than it did from LG Display in April and June of this year. These …

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  1. Professor Clifton Shallot

    Competition

    Is anyone here qualified to comment on the legal position of Samsung as a wholesaler as it impacts competition?

    It seems a little like the BT scenario which forced the split between retail and wholesale but are there any international laws that could push for the same sort of process here?

    Does Samsung give itself notably better deals on hardware than Apple is able to achieve?

    1. frank ly

      Re: Competition

      BT had an effective monopoly in many places and some areas of functionality. Apple are free to buy display panels from a variety of different suppliers. Samsung are free to quote whatever prices and lead times they like.

    2. John Stirling

      Re: Competition

      Samsung may have an 'internal market' like BT - but it is more likely they are vertically integrated - i.e. although there is an internal price that goes into the calculations of the end product price, there is no formal legal transaction separating the screen manufacture from the tablet/phone manufacture and sale.

      BT only had formal separation imposed because they were a privatised national monopoly who were abusing their monopoly once privatised.

      Ultimately you have to rent the copper from BT - unless you want to run your own (virgin media) - but no-one has to buy Samsung screens.

    3. Chet Mannly

      Re: Competition

      "Is anyone here qualified to comment on the legal position of Samsung as a wholesaler as it impacts competition?"

      Samsung don't have a monopoly, how could there possibly be a legal position?

      Of course Samsung will provide their screens to themselves for less than Apple. If the prices charged to Apple are too high Apple can buy from LG, Sharp et al or start their own factory like Samsung did.

      That IS competition.

      1. Professor Clifton Shallot

        Re: Competition

        Simply stating that Samsung does not have a monopoly is rather begging the question.

        Is anyone else able to supply Apple with screens of the sort it requires, the quality it requires, and in the volume it requires at the moment?

        Is Samsung's market power too great in this instance and allowing undesirable price discrimination?

        I have no idea about international competition law, I don't even know if there [i]is[/i] any which is why I asked the question.

        1. Vic

          Re: Competition

          > Is anyone else able to supply Apple with screens of the sort it requires

          That's the route to a circular argument...

          It's like asking if anyone else is capable of supplying me with the Lamborghini I require. Because the car I want has to be a Lambo, only they can supply.

          So it is with these screens - Apple want the Samsung screen, which only Samsung can supply. They've had a quick flirtation with LG screens, and keep coming back for Samsung parts.

          > Is Samsung's market power too great in this instance

          No. Any other company could invest in the technology to produce a competing part - Samsung has no monopoly, neither de facto nor de jure.

          Vic.

          1. Professor Clifton Shallot

            Re: Competition

            So what would happen if Samsung just decided not to supply Apple with these screens? Is the report completely wrong in suggesting that supply from Samsung is vital to Apple?

            Obviously it would take a hit losing a good customer in that part of the business but on the other hand if there's a market for devices with these screens Samsung could improve its position in that area and there might well be more long-term profit in doing that in the period it would take other screen manufacturers to ramp up production / quality.

            It's still not clear to me that Samsung isn't in a position to harm Apple's business to its own advantage by manipulating the supply of a key resource and frankly if there's nothing Apple could do about it I don't know why they wouldn't given how things stand between the two companies.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Samsung screens - the sought after ones.

    Despite the eternal Apple secrecy, users in the know, pick and choose, seeking out the Apple device with the Samsung displays.

    The problem being, despite supposed experts like that guy at Displaymate classing them as being one and the the same, knowledgeable users are finding ones with a Samsung screen as 'the pick of the crop;.

    1. The lone lurker
      WTF?

      Re: Samsung screens - the sought after ones.

      Care to share with the group how to ensure we find and recieve such a mythical beast?

      I've bought 2 Ipads in the past and have never been allowed to rummage around in the shops' inventory in order to find the 'cream of the crop'.

      I'd also be interested to know what the differences are, perhaps a link please?

      1. Frankee Llonnygog

        Re: Care to share with the group how to ensure we find and recieve such a mythical beast?

        The Samsung equipped model has a $20 bill from Samsung's PR agency taped to the back

  3. peter 45

    new format

    How do you read the third or fourth nested comment? It ends 1/4 way across the screen and is impossible to read. Please change it back

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: new format

      erm...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: new format

        ... get a bigger screen?

        1. Peter Clarke 1
          Coat

          Re: new format

          Samsung or LG ?????

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: new format

            How deep will it go?

            1. Austin Denyer
              Coat

              Re: new format

              That's what _she_ said...

        2. S4qFBxkFFg

          Re: new format

          It's nothing to do with screen size, on mine, there are huge grey bars on the left and right and the comments are horizontally compressed into about 250 pixels wide - El Reg seem to be assuming no-one has a screen wider than 1200 pixels...

          1. Rimpel

            Re: new format

            Forcing the paragraph width is commonplace nowadays presumably for the mobile/tablet experience. Oh for the days when they let the browser flow the text instead of imposing 10 words per line on us...

            However the new indentation on El Reg is completely random, see above The lone lurkers first reply is indented further than the 2nd level reply on this thread. It seems to be somehow related to the length of the posters handle

    2. S4qFBxkFFg

      Re: new format

      peter 45 - report it here:

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/Page/problem.html

  4. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
    Happy

    WTF

    Isn't 'The Register's' editorial line that everything Apple is crap/bad/old/etc and the everything Android/Google/Samsung Mobile was great/cool/fab/etc?

    Why are you breaking tradition and saying things like ....

    "This then jumped up to more than 4.1 million in the second quarter,"

    Are the El Reg editors/autors secret Fanboi's? We need to know?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: WTF

      Perhaps it was a sop to factual reporting?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Crosby Stills Nash

    "And if you can't be with the one you love, honey

    Love the one you're with,

    You gotta love the one you're with,

    You gotta love the one you're with,

    You gotta love the one you're with.."

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Maybe it's all smoke and mirrors basically to carve up the smartphone market between them. Make it look (externally) as if they hate each others guts but actually sales for both have been going well and both seem to be about the ones ones making any money...

    1. AceRimmer

      What's better than competition? The illusion of competition

  7. ItsNotMe

    Which begs the question...

    ...Which is the larger amount?

    The amount of money Samsung have made on sales TO Apple...or the amount of money Samsung have spent on litigation WITH Apple.

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