Second-grade 9.7-inch IPS panels, those failing to meet requirements for use to make touch screens for iPad 2, may have been procured by China-based white-box vendors for use in their 9.7-inch tablet PCs, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

LG Display and Samsung Electronics are two main suppliers of 9.7-inch IPS panels for iPad 2, the sources indicated. Since yield rates for such panels are lower than those for other types of panels, a portion of output is below Apple's standard but may not be really defective in terms of usability.

There were an estimated 7-9 million iPad 2s shipped globally in the second quarter of 2011 and the shipment volume is expected to increase to 12-14 million units in the third quarter, the sources indicated.

LG Display and Samsung together shipped an estimated 12-15 million 9.7-inch IPS panels in the second quarter, the sources pointed out. The gap between the shipments of panels and iPad 2 is expected to consist of three portions, panels unable to meet requirements, those in iPad 2 assembler's (Taiwan-based Foxconn) inventory for increased iPad shipments in the third quarter, as well as those sold to China-based white-box vendors, the sources analyzed.

China-based white-box vendor SmartDevices has launched a 9.7-inch Android 2.2 tablet PC, T10, for sale in the China market at CNY1,900 (US$293), and other white-box vendors, such as AGSO and Wanlida, have also launch 9.7-inch Android tablet PCs, the sources said.

【管理人】一口英語メモ
Second-gradeとは、直訳すると二級品という意味になりますが、FPD業界では顧客のスペックを満たさなかったランク落ち品のことです。
この文脈では、Ａｐｐｌｅの要求仕様に合致しなかった不良パネルとなりますが、不良品(really defective)というわけではありませんので、使い勝手という観点(in terms of usability)ではなんら問題ありません。
よくある不良としては、微小な点欠陥や表示ムラ、異物の混入などになるでしょう。
これらが中国のノーブランドメーカー(white-box vendors)に流れ、模造品が作られます。

このような取引は液晶テレビ・PCモニター・ノートPC向けのパネルでも非公式に行われており、中国や途上国向けの商品に使われています。
液晶テレビが立ちあがったころで、パネルが極端に不足していたときは、線欠陥のあるパネルでさえも売買されていました。

もしかしたら、9.7-inch IPS panelの現状を考えると似たように線欠陥のあるパネルも売買されているのかも知れません。(想像です)