Apple Will Reportedly Launch A Thinner iPad Complete With An IGZO Display Panel

Fans of the consumer technology world, specifically Apple related products, will obviously be aware of the fact that when it comes to announcements or releases, the rumor mill always manages to kick into overdrive. Speculation overdrive usually occurs during the standard release schedule for Apple devices, but if the most recent reports are anything to go by then we might be onto something new.

When Apple released the current generation iPad in March of this year, no one can deny that it was definitely a big improvement over the previous model, with sales figures showing that it has been more successful than what the Cupertino-based company had originally hoped for. With the inclusion of the beautiful Retina display and Apple’s A5X chip, users have been impressed with the tablet’s specifications. However, we all know you can’t please all the people all the time and there are those who believe Apple have taken a step backwards by making the new iPad thicker and slightly heavier than its predecessor.

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Unfortunately, to achieve the required specifications with the available technologies, the weight and thickness had to be bumped up a little. If DigiTimes is to believed then Apple is planning to right those wrongs with the release of a new and improved iPad later on this year. One of the main reasons for the thickness increase of the current iPad was the inability of Sharp to mass produce LCD panels built around their IGZO technology that dramatically decreases the power needed to efficiently output light through the display.

According to the report, Sharp have managed to get their production line in order, meaning that Apple is now able to include that technology into a new iPad that manages to be as light and as thin as the iPad 2 that was launched in March 2011. Personally speaking, it seems like a very far fetched scenario that Apple would break traditional release schedules to pump out a new device, especially considering the current iPad isn’t broken in any way.

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With that said, stranger things have happened in the technology world and if Apple sees an opportunity to push out a new device that brings an overall increased user-experience to customers, then it could just happen. I for one remain doubtful.

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