Apple cuts LCD panel orders for iPhone 5 on weak demand: Nikkei

Apple Inc has almost halved its order with suppliers of LCD panels for the iPhone 5 in the current quarter due to weak demand, the Nikkei reported on Monday.

Apple has asked suppliers Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korean company LG Display Co Ltd, to cut supply, down from an initial plan to order about 65 million units in the quarter, the Japanese daily said.

Japan Display's plant in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture, where the iPhone maker has invested heavily, is expected to temporarily reduce output by 70 percent to 80 percent compared to the October to December period, the financial daily reported.

Sharp's dedicated facility for iPhone 5 LCD panels in Mie Prefecture will lower production in January and February by about 40 percent from the October to December quarter, when it was near full capacity, the daily said.

An Apple spokesperson was not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.

(Reporting by Avik Das in Bangalore; Editing by Richard Pullin)