Display

Rumor: the next iPhones have sharper 4.7″ and 5.5″ Retina screens with sapphire protection

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2014

According to a new report by the South China Morning Post, Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch two new iPhones with bigger screens sporting sapphire crystal protection. The handsets are reportedly scheduled to launch in September 2014.

In corroborating previous rumors by Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, sources claim the upcoming iPhones have 4.7 and 5.5-inch screens coated in sapphire, the expensive gemstone Apple uses to protect its Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s and iSight camera lenses on iOS devices. And, the screens will be flat, not curved...

iPhone 6 to feature ‘bezel-free’ display, rumor has it

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 11, 2014

Analysts and high-profile outlets like The Wall Street Journal are expecting not one, but two new iPhones this year, each outfitted with a display significantly larger than the current four-inch iPhone 5/5s/5c. The Japanese magazine Mac Fan claimed in a report last October that the iPhone 6 will be the first phablet on the market optimized for one-hand operation.

A month earlier, analyst Ming Chi-Kuo opined that Apple would want to honor its self-imposed “unwavering principle of one hand use”. But how does one make a five-inch iPhablet optimized for one-hand use? By dropping the side bezels, that's how...

Foxconn looking to open large display manufacturing plant in US

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 22, 2017

Foxconn is looking to beef up its presence in the US according to some recent comments made by Terry Gou. During an event marking the company's 40th anniversary, the chairman said they were exploring the possibly of opening a large display plant in the country.

The manufacturing giant already has a handful of factories scattered across the US, but this particular facility would be capable of producing TV-sized display panels over 60-inches. And the move could save Foxconn's American clients millions of dollars in shipping costs...

iPhone with sapphire glass display allegedly in trial production

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 24, 2014

According to a new rumor by Taiwan's Apple Daily, Apple's favorite contract manufacturer, Foxconn, has ostensibly commenced trial production of the next iPhone, using sapphire as a display glass cover. The initial production run has been pegged at 100 units.

This doesn't mean that the next iPhone will in fact ditch Corning's Gorilla Glass for sapphire-strengthened display, mind you. Apple currently uses sapphire to protect iOS device cameras and Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s from scratches and dings.

Earlier today, a video excerpt from ABC's upcoming interview with CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives brought the official confirmation of Apple's plan to exclusively produce sapphire crystal glass components at its new facility in Mesa, Arizona...

Poll: what screen size should the iPhone 6 be?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Two years ago, our iPhones were all 3.5-inch. It was a time when jumbo-sized handsets had started to steal Apple's thunder as a bunch of people responded enthusiastically to bigger smartphones from the Android camp, namely, Samsung.

Our non-scientific poll asked you back in May 2012 whether the then-unreleased iPhone 5 should rock a bigger screen. More than four out of each ten respondents voted for a four-inch display being the new gold standard for iPhones going forward.

But a lot has happened in the past eighteen months. Fast forward to today and all of a sudden what seemed preposterous in 2012 is commonly accepted in 2014.

The line between a smartphone and a phablet is now blurred to the point where a lot of Apple fans have taken notice of these oversized handsets and are now demanding that Apple responds to the trend accordingly.

The rumor-mill is adamant that Tim Cook will further diversify Apple's mobile product portfolio in 2014 by commissioning a 12.9-inch iPad alongside larger-screened iPhones. Taking it all in, what screen size the next iPhone should be, do you think?

Rumor: LG Display strikes deal with Apple to exclusively build 1.52-inch OLED iWatch screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It was reported last October that LG Display was close to reaching an agreement with Apple to build tiny OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens for the rumored iWatch. As the original article by The Korea Herald asserted, LG Display would become the second iWatch display supplier, with Taiwan's RiTDisplay acting as the primary supplier and Japan Display a likely candidate as well.

According to a new report Monday by Seoul-based online tech publication Digital Daily, Apple has now selected LG Display as a sole supplier of 1.52-inch panels for the iWatch...

Apple Stores to start repairing iPhone 5c screens next week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple will begin conducting in-store screen repairs for the iPhone 5c next week, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The site says that under the new practice, the company will be able to repair most displays 'within the hour.'

This means that Apple Stores will no longer have to replace an entire device due to a cracked screen. And the initiative will not only help Apple save money on repairs, but it'll also save users from having to setup new devices…

Apple now selling 4K Sharp displays in its European web stores

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple has begun offering a 32-inch Sharp Ultra HD LED monitor in its European web stores. The 4K monitor, which retails for £3,499.00 (or roughly $5,700 USD), has been available since November, but this is the first we've heard of Apple selling it.

The display uses Sharp's IGZO technology (Indium gallium zinc oxide) and has a resolution of 3840 x 2160. It offers a 1.07 billion color palette, an 800:1 contrast ratio, and comes with DisplayPort support (though it doesn't include the Mini DP adapter)...

New panels from AU Optronics may hint at upcoming 4K Apple displays

Cody Lee ∙ November 26, 2013

The new Mac Pro, which Apple first introduced at WWDC, is capable of driving up to 3 4K displays simultaneously. This is something the company has mentioned several times, leading to speculation that it has a 4K-flavored display on the way.

Although such a product hasn't materialized yet, some new evidence has surfaced this week that could indicate it's still on the way. Apparently, Apple supplier AUO is currently making 27-inch and 33-inch 4K thunderbolt-compatible display panels...

Apple could enhance Touch ID with trackpad capabilities, embed sensor right into display

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 25, 2013

Last week, Patently Apple shed light on an Apple patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office which covers the various aspects of its Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a new feature exclusive to the iPhone 5s.

The invention is entitled Capacitive Sensor Packaging and details collapsing the full fingerprint maps into a hashed, encrypted data securely stored on the A7 chip's Secure Enclave. It's curious that the patent's main inventor, Wayne Westerman, developed Multi-Touch technology at Fingerworks, a startup Apple snapped up in 2005.

In another massive 612-page patent application Apple filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization in May 2013, the iPhone maker indicates it's been researching mobile screens with Touch ID embedded, along with trackpad capabilities allowing for panning of on-screen content by moving your finger over the Touch ID Home button...

Retina iPad mini has inferior color gamut to iPad Air

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2013

Apple's latest iPad mini with Retina display went unexpectedly on sale last Friday. As is the case with any Apple product launch, this one, too, came with its share of teething issues.

Some early adopters may have bought a device with Sharp-made IGZO screen which apparently exhibits slight image retention issue, for example.

I was deep into AnanandTech's exhaustive Retina iPad mini review the other day and stumbled upon a section which describes the device's Retina display as actually showing fewer colors compared to the iPad Air. Not that an untrained eye will notice any difference, but I've decided to post this anyway for purely academic purposes...

Some early adopters complaining about screen burn-in on their Retina iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 15, 2013

An unknown portion of the first batch of Retina iPad minis coming out of assembly line is apparently plagued with the screen retention problem, reports from disgruntled users claim. Every Apple product launch is marred with teething issues, though this one is more than skin-deep. As we reported, Korea’s ETNews blamed the issues last week on production woes with Sharp-made IGZO Retina panels.

Manufacturing issues have apparently prompted Apple to negotiate with Samsung Display for the supply of 7.9-inch Retina screens starting next year, as Samsung’s display-making unit “was the first to solve the technological problem”. At the heart of the issue is malfunctioning of Sharp’s thin-film transistor screen technology...