LG supplying MacBook Pro Retina displays to Apple

At least one of the suppliers for Apple's new high-resolution MacBook Pro Retina display has been identified as LG Display.

The revelation, disclosed by iFixit on the company's Twitter account, should quash rumors that Apple could be using Sharp's IGZO technology for the new 15-inch Retina display. Apple has been known to use numerous suppliers for parts, so it's likely that other MacBook Pro units feature Retina displays from other known LCD manufacturers.

Particular interest has been paid to who supplies components to Apple since its largest supplier, Samsung, has become a fierce rival and legal opponent. Over the last year, Apple has shown signs that it would like to move away from relying on Samsung for components, but the company is believed to have been the only partner who could produce Retina displays for the third-generation iPad at launch earlier this year.

The wedge between the two companies has been driven by competition in the smartphone and tablet markets. Last April, Apple was first to sue, when it accused Samsung of copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad, and the two companies are now involved in a number of lawsuits that span around the world.

LG has been a major supplier of LCD displays to Apple over the years, and in 2009 the two companies reached a $500 million deal for the supply of flat-panel displays through the year 2013. But the relationship between the two companies may have strained late last year, when LG was said to have lost its status as the leading display maker for Apple's iPad 2, when a batch of LCD shipments were reportedly plagued with quality issues.

Going forward, Sharp is also expected to be a major partner with Apple for screen production. Last year, reports indicated Apple had invested in a Sharp plant in Japan, while this year Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn bought a 10 percent stake in Sharp to help boost its LCD business.