Apple Will Reportedly Adopt ITO Film Technology On Smaller And Subsequent iPads

There have been some major revelations over the past couple of weeks with regards to the purported "iPad Mini" device, and the consensus seems to be that it will look and feel somewhat closer to a larger iPod touch than it will a smaller iPad.

Said to be releasing later on this year after the Cupertino’s next smartphone – dubbed the "iPhone 5," it will not only be a great deal smaller than the 9.7-inch display of the main Apple slab, but it is also set to be a great deal cheaper than even the superseded iPad 2.

Although Apple has had no problem dominating the market it is credited with started when it dropped the original iPad back in 2010, today it faces a very real threat from competitors. Most tablets created to challenge the dominance of the iPad failed miserably, and aside from a little buzz from the Kindle Fire, there has been very little of note in the past two-and-a-half years.

Things have most certainly changed now, and along with the Galaxy Note 10.1 and numerous other to-be-released devices, the quad-core Nexus 7 has been flying off shelves. In fact, I would point to release of Google and ASUS’ joint venture as the reignition of the dormant iPad Mini talk, and excitement levels are already approaching fever pitch.

Now it has emerged the smaller iPad may introduce displays coated with indium tin oxide (ITO), which is described as "an electrically conductive transparent substance that acts as an EMI shield," while also reducing radio interference.

The 7.85-inch device – it is reported – will be the first from the Cupertino outfit to utilize the film technology, created by a firm called Efun, and it is thought the traditional 9.7-inch iPad will also receive the same treatment next year when the forth iteration is released.

Although the smaller slate is rather scaled-down in terms of features when compared with its larger cousin, Apple will still stick to its ethos of building sturdy, high-quality devices.

We cannot wait to see what the smaller iPad winds up looking like, and although we’re probably going to be waiting a couple of months for an official announcement, the release of the next iPhone in between will make the time pass even quicker.

(via AppleInsider)

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