Hitach & Sony working with Apple on 4-inch iOS device, iPad 4 to see new display technology

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
Hitachi and Sony are reported to have teamed up to supply Apple with 4-inch LCD displays for an unspecified iOS device that will hit the market in 2012. Meanwhile, Apple is also said to be working on a fundamentally distinct display technology for the iPad 4.



Citing sources within Apple's Far Eastern supply chain, macotakara.jp claims that Hitachi Displays, Ltd. and Sony Mobile Display Corporation have begun shipments of 4-inch LCD panels to Apple for unspecified iOS device due next year.



The two companies are further reported to merge their business with Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd. to form "Japan Display" in 2012 spring.



The report arrives on the heels of claims from the Wall Street Journal, which said earlier this week that Sharp will also produce panels for the iPad 3 at its Kameyama No. 2 plant in central Japan; Apple typically sources its components from multiple partners.



A person familiar with the matter further claimed Apple has invested an unspecified amount in Sharp's factories. The investment is believed to help support Sharp's production capacity for IGZO (indium, gallium, zinc) LCD panels for the next iPhone and iPad that will allow for thinner designs and improved battery performance.



"The IGZO technology is perfect in that it offers near-OLED power consumption while having a lower cost and thinness that is only 25% greater than OLED, based on our checks," said Jeffries analyst Peter Misek.



Meanwhile, macotakara.jp also cites the same sources as saying that an unspecified Taiwanese company will soon be "providing LCD technology faces" to Apple for a "fundamentally changed" iPad 4 that will be manufactured by a new process.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 108
    This is all beyond my imagination what will be so different.
  • Reply 2 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Hitach and Sony are reported to have teamed up to supply Apple with 4-inch LCD displays for an unspecified iOS device that will hit the market in 2012.



    Hitach?



    Most likely Hitachi.
  • Reply 3 of 108
    And the point of talking about something that's beyond what is most recently new and doesn't even exist yet is…?



    I mean, if they were going to push up the 'new display technology' from the 4 to the 3, sure, but why be concerned with this when it's very irrelevant to iPad 3 display production?



    Having said that, I think Intel should just forget about everything between here and Skymont and just jump to that.
  • Reply 4 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    And the point of talking about something that's beyond what is most recently new and doesn't even exist yet is??



    I mean, if they were going to push up the 'new display technology' from the 4 to the 3, sure, but why be concerned with this when it's very irrelevant to iPad 3 display production?



    Having said that, I think Intel should just forget about everything between here and Skymont and just jump to that.





    What will Apple use a 4 inch display for? A new iTouch?
  • Reply 5 of 108
    Well, I guess some hedge fund is shorting Hitachi and Sony and hoping to pump and dump.
  • Reply 6 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    What will Apple use a 4 inch display for? A new iTouch?



    If Apple uses a 4" display it seems a future gen iPhone and iPod Touch would be the most likely recipients.
  • Reply 7 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    What will Apple use a 4 inch display for? A new iTouch?



    AppleTV remote?



  • Reply 8 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    What will Apple use a 4 inch display for?



    Apple TV remote.



    Quote:

    A new iTouch?



    Now you're just doing it on purpose.
  • Reply 9 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    And the point of talking about something that's beyond what is most recently new and doesn't even exist yet is…?



    Is to set your expectations so high that Apple couldn't possibly meet it, thus creating vocal minority of unhappy tech bloggers who complain so that the media can report how big a failure the iPhone 4S is until the next day when it becomes the fastest selling smartphone ever, and the media makes that the new story and forgot how big a failure it was the day before.
  • Reply 10 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by logic368 View Post


    This is all beyond my imagination what will be so different.



    The new display technology will be a 10" iPad with retina display that expands to an Apple 50" tv when placed in its dock.
  • Reply 11 of 108
    piotpiot Posts: 1,346member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Apple TV remote.



    They've already done that.







    ooops! My mistake.
  • Reply 12 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    The new display technology will be a 10" iPad with retina display that expands to an Apple 50" tv when placed in its dock.



    LAME, super LAME.
  • Reply 13 of 108
    It's, iHitach







    Quote:
    Originally Posted by frugality View Post


    Hitach?



    Most likely Hitachi.



  • Reply 14 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by piot View Post


    They've already done that.

    ooops! My mistake.



    They just don't even give a flying frick that they're blatantly stealing, do they?
  • Reply 15 of 108
    MacBooks would be Perfect candidates for a 4 inch multitouch display. Imagine a trackpad that had a retina display that you could interact with even more.



    Apple would never make a 4 inch screen portable device. It's too big for one hand to use and to small for two hands to use.



    Take it from me; a hard core industrial designer.

    APPLE WILL NEVER MAKE A 4 INCH IOS DEVICE.



    a 4 inch multitouch retina display trackpad?

    HECK YA!
  • Reply 16 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lacticburn View Post


    MacBooks would be Perfect candidates for a 4 inch multitouch display. Imagine a trackpad that had a retina display that you could interact with even more.



    Apple would never make a 4 inch screen portable device. It's too big for one hand to use and to small for two hands to use.



    Take it from me; a hard core industrial designer.

    APPLE WILL NEVER MAKE A 4 INCH IOS DEVICE.



    a 4 inch multitouch retina display trackpad?

    HECK YA!



    1) Your assumption on 4" being too large for one hand assumes that the bezel and thickness of th device would remain constant, when a combination of these two being reduced could made the one handed thumb radius just as useful as the current 3.5" display.



    2) I've long believed the future of the multi-touch trackpad is to add visual output, but it would not have to be Retina Display to be useful. In fact, this is where AMOLED would be ideal in that it could be black (using no power) most of the times and only displaying over part or all of the trackpad as needed. BTW, the trackpad is already appears to be over 4.5" on the diagonal.
  • Reply 17 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


    Is to set your expectations so high that Apple couldn't possibly meet it, thus creating vocal minority of unhappy tech bloggers who complain so that the media can report how big a failure the iPhone 4S is until the next day when it becomes the fastest selling smartphone ever, and the media makes that the new story and forgot how big a failure it was the day before.



    No one called the 4S a failure. They said it was a disappointment. Not the same.
  • Reply 18 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    1) Your assumption on 4" being too large for one hand assumes that the bezel and thickness of th device would remain constant, when a combination of these two being reduced could made the one handed thumb radius just as useful as the current 3.5" display.



    2) I've long believed the future of the multi-touch trackpad is to add visual output, but it would not have to be Retina Display to be useful. In fact, this is where AMOLED would be ideal in that it could be black (using no power) most of the times and only displaying over part or all of the trackpad as needed. BTW, the trackpad is already appears to be over 4.5" on the diagonal.



    What about all of the app developers? They would have to re-adjust all of their apps to fit a new display. This could make a lot of developers mad.



    Your 2nd point makes sense. Also a track pad with a display could stimulate MacBook pro sales again, and they could simply leave the air with its traditional trackpad.
  • Reply 19 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lacticburn View Post


    What about all of the app developers? They would have to re-adjust all of their apps to fit a new display. This could make a lot of developers mad.



    Sure, it's a world where you can't keep changing the display size or resolution at will the way Apple did with the iPod Nano, but after the 3GS gets deprecated so there is only one resolution for the 3.5" display size to develop for, adding a 4" size with or without the same resolution as the current iPhone, would be possible. Devs would need some time to optimize their apps, but I don't think a 4" 960x640 display in the hands of customers for a couple months would deter too many buyers, especially if this was the size they were planning on sticking with for many years. I would end up just being a blip on the radar the way the less-than-ideal 480x320 apps looked on the iPhone 4.
  • Reply 20 of 108
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ConradJoe View Post


    What will Apple use a 4 inch display for? A new iTouch?



    Mac nano?
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