Display makers increase IGZO capacity as Apple ponders next-gen panels for 'iPad Pro' - report
Apple is likely to choose IGZO-based display panels for its so-called 12.9-inch 'iPad Pro,' a Monday report from South Korea suggests, prompting Korean manufacturers Samsung and LG Display to make investments designed to increase their production capacity in a bid to win Apple's business.
The iPad Air is currently Apple's largest tablet, with a 9.7-inch display.
LG Display has reportedly begun tooling for an 8th-generation IGZO plant in Paju, Gyeonggi province, according to ETNews. That facility would produce up to 21,000 2,200-millimeter-by-2,500-millimeter glass-backed IGZO sheets each month.
Such an expansion would increase LG Display's total IGZO capacity from 9,000 sheets to 30,000 sheets each month. Critically, that expansion might not be complete until mid-2016, while Apple is expected to launch its jumbo iPad later this year.
"Investment to produce 30,000 sheets next year's second quarter have started," a "well-informed LG Display related official" told the publication. "Apple is creating iPads with 12.9 inch display, which shows they are increasing the panel size. And because so, we are planning in expanding production rate as well."
Samsung is said to be in the midst of a similar expansion, with the eventual goal of producing 60,000 1,100-millimeter-by-1,300-millimeter sheets per month on its 5th-generation process by the end of 2015.
Apple is believed to favor a three-headed supply chain for IGZO panels, with LG Display, Samsung, and Japan's Sharp reportedly lined up.
Apple's move to IGZO displays has been rumored for years, and while it is an excellent technical solution, the company has recently placed massive bets on competing LTPS technology, which is used in the current-generation iPhones and iPads. Japan Display's new $1.4 billion LTPS plant will be largely financed by an Apple prepayment -- which will secure exclusive access to the factory's output -- and the company is thought to have cut a similar deal for the LTPS retrofit of Sharp's Kameyama No. 1 facility.
The iPad Air is currently Apple's largest tablet, with a 9.7-inch display.
LG Display has reportedly begun tooling for an 8th-generation IGZO plant in Paju, Gyeonggi province, according to ETNews. That facility would produce up to 21,000 2,200-millimeter-by-2,500-millimeter glass-backed IGZO sheets each month.
Such an expansion would increase LG Display's total IGZO capacity from 9,000 sheets to 30,000 sheets each month. Critically, that expansion might not be complete until mid-2016, while Apple is expected to launch its jumbo iPad later this year.
"Investment to produce 30,000 sheets next year's second quarter have started," a "well-informed LG Display related official" told the publication. "Apple is creating iPads with 12.9 inch display, which shows they are increasing the panel size. And because so, we are planning in expanding production rate as well."
Samsung is said to be in the midst of a similar expansion, with the eventual goal of producing 60,000 1,100-millimeter-by-1,300-millimeter sheets per month on its 5th-generation process by the end of 2015.
Apple is believed to favor a three-headed supply chain for IGZO panels, with LG Display, Samsung, and Japan's Sharp reportedly lined up.
Apple's move to IGZO displays has been rumored for years, and while it is an excellent technical solution, the company has recently placed massive bets on competing LTPS technology, which is used in the current-generation iPhones and iPads. Japan Display's new $1.4 billion LTPS plant will be largely financed by an Apple prepayment -- which will secure exclusive access to the factory's output -- and the company is thought to have cut a similar deal for the LTPS retrofit of Sharp's Kameyama No. 1 facility.
Comments
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. The iPad Air line all use IGZO, and the Mini 2 & 3 as well, most likely.
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/33753/ipad-air-uses-igzo-tech-for-thinner-more-power-efficient-displays/index.htmlhttp://www.extremetech.com/computing/170970-igzo-display-tech-finally-makes-it-to-mass-market-ipad-air-now-high-res-laptops-and-desktops-next
a. Apple invests $ in two solutions (for the same end product) as an insurance policy against one solution failing.
or:
b. Apple chooses different component solutions for different end products?
I asks because of understanding how Apple uses its capital: do they invest some money in redundant capacity as an insurance policy, knowing that they won't use 100% of that capacity?
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. The iPad Air line all use IGZO, and the Mini 2 & 3 as well, most likely.
http://www.tweaktown.com/news/33753/ipad-air-uses-igzo-tech-for-thinner-more-power-efficient-displays/index.html
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/170970-igzo-display-tech-finally-makes-it-to-mass-market-ipad-air-now-high-res-laptops-and-desktops-next
Both of those articles cite the same source, and they seem to only be guessing that the iPad has IGZO. Apple's use of LTPS in its products has been confirmed numerous times, so why do we believe that they're secretly using IGZO and this one Soneira guy is the only one who knows?
Display manufacturers ARE NOT going to invest millions on the hope that they get orders. If display manufacturers ARE expanding IGZO capacity, it is because they have already secured orders that require expansion of existing production capacity.
Is Apple the reason for the expansion: that is a good question. For sure display manufacturers are not expanding because Apple is "pondering" next gen iPad display type.
Orders come before capital investment. Orders mean decisions as to type of display have already been made. Period.
LTPS is a better technology than IGZO in terms of performance. Be thankful the iPad is using it.
The iPad Air or mini is using LTPS? The only time I have seen that assertion is in this thread.
Last I read, LTPS was suitable only for smaller screens, and supply is still constrained because of iPhone production requirements.
We've been over this before. There's no evidence I'm aware of that the iPad minis use IGZO.
Destructive comment. Even if you're not misled, you may be misleading others. I suspect you don't know what you're talking about. Again, on this subject.
IGZO or "Oxide TFT" as Apple markets it has been used only in the newest 5K retina iMac. It's high perofmance, rather low cost, but the manufacteuring capacity for it is still low.
Amorphous silicon has been used for iPhone to iPhone 3GS, so far all iPads, Mac Books and other iMacs. It's a legacy, low cost tech with huge production capacities available. But the performace is relativelly low, an iPad 3 required 7W for maximum brightness. The huge power reduction in iPad Air has been achieved using much pricier and efficient LED's. While Apple droped the amount of LED's from 89 in iPad 4 to 34 in iPad Air lovering the power compustion to 5W at higher brightness using the same Asilicon display backplane.
The jump to IGZO is probably required for supposedly ultra-high res of the iPad pro while powering off from an relativelly small battery to ensure as low weight as possible.
12.9? Why not just make it 13?
Like gasoline psychology - except reverse. You pay for more, you just get less - or something like that...
Any references on the use of aSi for the iPad Air? It was Raymond Soneira who asserted that the Air displays were IGZO, based on current-draw measurement, IIRC.
The new 12" Macbook retina is evidently IGZO, judging from the presentation announcement, which went into detail about the backplane wiring.
Edit: there's an alternate explanation for how they shrink the backplane wiring here, under "Retina Redux."
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/03/29/how-apples-new-macbook-gets-nearly-as-much-battery-life-as-the-macbook-pro-with-a-battery-half-the-size
Neither AI nor I know how they did it, however. I would say a 30% energy savings for the display means it's IGZO.