RUMOR: APPLE TO INVEST $1 BILLION IN SHARP LCD FACTORY

Apple may invest $1 billion in a Sharp LCD factory to ensure adequate production of screens for its iPhone and iPad, according to MF Global FXA Securities analyst David Rubenstein. Apple typically buys its LCD displays from Samsung, LG and Chimei Innolux, although recent reports have suggested the iPhone maker has boosted its orders with Samsung after LG failed to meet iPad 2 display requirements.

Apple’s recent legal battles with Samsung in the United States, the European Union and Australia could be why the company is looking to invest in other manufacturers. “If the situation escalates into a state of war, this could mean a huge shift in orders,” a source told Reuters, suggesting that Apple could give larger orders to Elpida Memory and Toshiba.

Sharp is expected to provide the LCD displays for Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone, which is expected to launch next year.

RUMOR: AMAZON TABLET SHIPPING LATER THIS YEAR

We've got a pretty good inkling that it's coming, the big question is when will Amazon finally ship an LCD tablet. According to DigiTimes, and its occasionally trusty sources at upstream component makers, whenis defined by the second half of 2011.

What's more, the media tablet will feature a Fringe Field Switching LCD display and touch panel from Amazon fave E Ink Holdings, a company better known for the technology behind the Kindle's EPD e-paper displays. According to DigiTimes, Quanta has received the manufacturing honors with production expected to peak at about 700,000 - 800,000 units per month. So yeah, the Amazon Kindle tablet won't be sporting a Mirasol display according to this gossip.

SHARP HALTS PRODUCTION AT TWO LCD PLANTS IN JAPAN

Toshiba, Hitachi, and Panasonic already said they would shutter their liquid crystal display plants for a month following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck the country on March 11. Now, Japan's largest exporter of LCD TVs, Sharp, has suspended production at its two biggest factories, thanks to a shortage of a gas used in the manufacturing process. The Osaka and Mie plants, which have a combined capacity of 172,000 sets per month, won't reopen until May 6, at the earliest. Until then, the company claims it has enough TVs in its inventory to last about a month. One JP Morgan Chase analyst estimates that the company stands to lose 50 billion yen ($590 million) this fiscal year due to the freeze.

TOUCHSCREEN DISPLAY OVERLAY FOR YOUR PLASMA OR LCD

Are you jealous of those touchscreen devices and your plasma TV is still using that antiquated remote?  Well cheer up, Displax has just released their customizable Overlay Multitouch for screen sized from 32 to 103 inches that allow for multitouch responsiveness. The  polymer film is selling for around $1,800 so most of the early orders will probably be from corporations looking to jazz up their presentations. [Engadget]