Upcoming iPad to use iPad mini's touch-panel technology

If the iPad mini left you impressed with its slim profile and light weight, you have a good reason to be excited about the upcoming iPad. Sources close to development at Apple have informed the Wall Street Journal that the upcoming Apple tablet is likely to feature the same touch-panel technology that featured on the iPad mini, giving it its thin and light feel.The touch-panel in question is the layer with touch sensors, placed between the liquid-crystal display and the outer glass.  Sources told WSJ that it is after the success of the mini that the company decided to replicate the technology in its upcoming tablet. In fact, reports suggest that even as you’re reading this the tablet is being produced by the company’s Asian suppliers.

Thinner and lighter like the iPad mini?

Over the months, several details on the upcoming iPad have been spilling out, generating much excitement among enthusiasts and techies alike. The mass production of the tablet was to start in July. Sources in Apple’s Taiwan-based supply chain had previously revealed that the monthly shipment of the tablet is expected to cross 2-3 million by September, which suggests that Apple is aiming for an August unveiling for the iPad.

Previous reports had indicated that the new iPad won’t have a display resolution higher than the current Retina-class 2048 x 1536 resolution display. It went on to add that the manufacturing process for the display had been changed, resulting in a slimmer tablet. The new display reportedly is built on a glass substrate of 0.2 mm, thinner than the 0.25 mm one for the 4th generation iPad, resulting in a narrower bezel.

The touch panel solution for the new iPad is GF2, with one layer of glass and two layers of ITO film, instead of the G/G bonding technique used in the current model. Other details on the upcoming tablet include that it will use one LED light bar for backlighting, halving the number used in the 4th generation iPad. The change in manufacturing process means the new iPad will be 25-33 percent lighter than the model it replaces.

The display itself will be supplied by LG, Samsung and Sharp, while Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology (TSMT) will undertake SMT process for the LED light bars. Radiant Opto-Electronics and Coretronic are said to be manufacturing the backlight units, while TPK Holding is working on the touch panel bonding.