Apple Planning to Invest in Sharp for iDevice Displays?

A source close to Reuters claims Apple is planning to invest nearly $1 billion into a Sharp LCD factory, triggering numerous suppliers looking for business with Apple following its publicized legal dispute with current display supplier Samsung.

Reuters lists Elpida Memory Inc., a Japanese chipmaker, and Toshiba among the countless number of companies hoping the issues between Apple and Samsung will prove irreconcilable. “If the situation escalates into a state of war, this could mean a huge shift in orders,” claimed one unnamed source.

“An investment could lead to more ties between Apple and the suppliers to Sharp and Toshiba,” explained Shuzo Takada, an industrial revitalization division. “At a time when Japan faces the threat of a hollowing out of industry, this is encouraging.”

But why exactly is Apple planning such an investment? Perhaps, with Samsung potentially out of  the picture, the consumer technology giant is searching for a display manufacturer that can replicate the iPad 3 retina display reportedly being tested.