According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple’s next-generation iPhone will feature a new technology that allows the screen to be even thinner. Reports indicate that the iPhone is currently being manufactured by Asian component makers and Sharp, LG, and Japan Display using what is called in-cell technology.
So how does it work? The new technology integrates touch sensors right into the LCD so that the phone no longer needs a separate touch-screen layer. Without the extra layer, which is usually about half a millimeter thick, the entire screen is thinner. On top of that, the quality of the images would also improve.
The new technology is also beneficial for Apple as it would simplify the supply chain and lower costs as the company wouldn’t need to buy touch panels and LCD panels from separate suppliers.
A thinner display screen would make the entire device thinner or, keeping the same thickness, Apple could fit a somewhat larger battery. It would also help to offset the added weight that the expected larger 4-inch display would add to the phone.
More evidence surfaced of Apple switching to in-cell touch panels earlier this month when the company’s touch panel supplier, Wintek, announced its June sales were much lower with about a 33.6 percent loss month over month. This was assumed to be a result of having lost Apple’s key orders for the next-generation iPhone. Wintek doesn’t offer in-cell touch technology and is estimated to have generated more than 50 percent of its sales from Apple.
So does all this mean that Apple is really making the next-generation iPhone thinner? Only a few more months until its release and then Apple fans can get their hands on it and rumors can be put to rest.
Source: The Wall Street Journal via Apple Insider
Image Credit: Entertainment Lobby
