Other Apple display suppliers include Sharp and LG Electronics. The display has been a key innovation for the iconic iPads and iPhones. For example, the latest edition of the iPad displays images at a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels, which is the best of any tablet on the market. Apple is expected to announced a new iPad with a smaller screen later this week.

The screen of the iPhone 5, which started shipping last month, can display images at 1136 by 640 pixels. That is a bit less than smartphones such as , which has a 1280-by-720-pixel-resolution screen.

But Apple and Samsung continue to work together on some fronts. Samsung is Apple's first home-designed A6 chip on the 32-nanometer process. Apple borrowed earlier processor designs from Samsung.

LG in 2011 with a 46 percent market share, followed by Samsung, which had a 35 percent market share, according to IHS iSuppli. The tablet panel shipments totaled 81.3 million in 2011 and will grow this year alongside tablet shipments, the research firm said.