According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple will add Sharp to its list of LCD panel manufacturers, specifically for the next generation iPad. The information comes from people familiar with the situation. Apple is apparently looking to diversify component suppliers for its products and as Sharp is already manufacturing LCD panels for the iPhone; it makes sense for Apple to add it to the supply chain for the iPad too.

Sharp’s Kameyama No.2 plant in Japan will be used to manufacture the panels. It is also believed that Apple is investing in Sharp’s Japanese manufacturing facilities to ensure preferential treatment when it comes to component availability and pricing.

The iPad 3 has long been rumored to have the much coveted “Retina” display. Apple would need to be able to source large quantities of high quality panels with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 for this to become a reality. This could be the deal that paves the way for it to happen early next year!

Source: WSJ

Apple is planning to change its backlight design for the next generation iPad, according to technology news source Digitimes. Vendors have told Digitimes that Apple has been offered two alternative backlight solutions.

With the next-generation iPads expected to adopt LCD panels with resolutions higher than 2048 by 1536, the current single LED light bar designed for the iPad 2 has to be modified in order to maintain or strengthen the brightness of the panels, the sources explained.

Source: Digitimes

Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes is once again beating the drum on rumors they spurred up back in May about Apple prepping a curved-glass design across iOS devices including the iPhone 6 for 2012.

Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass. Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal, G-Tech are said to be major cover glass suppliers of Apple. While Lens and Fuji focus on iPhones, G-Tech supplies mainly for iPad

As always with rumors from Digitimes we urge you to take this with a 3.5-inch grain of salt. Apple supposedly purchased upwards of 300 glass cutting machines earlier in the year that they’ve stored in warehouses until production yield rates meet their requirements, and glass makers have had a hard time entertaining the idea of producing curved glass for Apple because of capital costs.

We’ll have to wait until next year before we see if Apple pushes out an iPhone with a curved-glass display… or if they’re just using them for all the windows on their new mothership HQ.

Source: Digitimes

Randomly accurate rumor site Digitimes reports that, according to supply chain makers, Apple may have trouble meeting initial demand for the iPhone 5 thanks to a defect discovered in the production process for the touch panels made by Wintek.

A defect has presented in some iPhone 5 touch panels produced by Wintek which may affect the ability to meet initial shipment targets for the launch which is expected in October, according to iPhone supply chain makers.

The defect involves a “delayed bubble” effect which is harder to avoid during touch panel production, especially when the problem isn’t found during the laminating process. If the problem isn’t found before assembly, Wintek will have to scrap the panel altogether, essentially losing money and output during the production process.

Wintek currently accounts for some 20-25% of the overall production of touch panels Apple uses in the iPhone 5 with Chimei Innolux and TPK Holding pushing out the rest, so the problem shouldn’t have a huge impact on volume out of the gate.

Apple running into production issues isn’t completely unheard of, either, and Wintek also says to expect a quick remedy due to the fact that the lamination process in the iPhone 5 touch panels is the same as the iPhone 4.

[Digitimes]

Crunchy Logistics has released the Padzilla case for your iPad or iPhone but to call it a case is a bit crazy. The Padzilla accessory is just a huge touchscreen which allows you to interact with your device on a grand scale. You can hang it on the wall or even use it as an interactive coffee table.

One of the greatest iPad/iPhone accessories ever created! This interactive case allows you to use your iPad/iPhone with a massive screen that is multitouch capable. Shown in the video is a 70″ version but can be made in any size up to 150″. Jailbreak is not required. However this is an accessory and does require an iPad or iPhone (3GS or 4) to work properly. This unit can be positioned vertically or in a table mode thanks to our special mounting system.

The Padzilla also has the facility to work with game consoles and computers should you get bored of your huge iOS device display. If you fancy picking one of these up for your living room, be warned; they do not come cheap. The 70” display shown off in the video will set you back around $30-40,000. That would include the iPad so it’s not all bad! If that is too much for you, you will be able to rent the Padzilla in the future!

[Padzilla via TechCrunch]

Saks Fifth Avenue has found a rather innovative way to celebrate Fashion’s Night Out. Working with Stylelist and designer Gin Lane Media, it has produced an interactive window display using sixty four iPads in one window and nine 27-inch Apple Cinema Displays in the other two windows.

“The iPads are running a native iPad application specifically built for the installation,” said Dan Kenger, Digital Creative Director at Gin Lane Media. “Using a local network, which we setup, we are able to get all the iPads to talk to each other as well as perfect the timing to produce elegant fades and control what device should display what.”

If anyone gets the chance to wander past the display, let us know what you think!

[The Loop]

Could Apple be going with Samsung AMOLED for the iPad 3 display? Rumor has it Apple COO Tim Cook recently visited South Korea to work out just that deal:

Apple wants to tap into Samsung’s AMOLED technology for an upgraded version of the iPad2, considered as many as the iPad3 [...] During Cook’s trip last week, Apple seems to have offered Samsung an advance for the AMOLED displays.

An AMOLED display on the next iPad would offer improved brightness, and reduce reflection and power consumption. This also adds more fuel to the rumor that Apple may end up releasing the iPad 3 later this year, effectively resetting the release cycle to better align with the holiday season.

But with Apple going after Samsung for copying aspects of the iPhone and iPad, do you think they’d actually be able to come to an agreement? Could Samsung even produce the millions of AMOLED panels Apple would need for a real Retina Display iPad 3?

Either way, would you want it?

[Asia News Network via OLED-Info]

Apple has aired yet another “if you don’t have an iPhone” commercial, this time focusing on the Retina Display. It highlights photographs, movies, maps and email and how clear they look on the phone with the highest resolution screen!

Official Apple video after the break. What do you think, better than the previous iBooks, iTunes music, App Store, and Game Center spots?

Just when I was beginning to wonder where Digitimes was with their crazy iPhone 5 rumor they show up with a doozy, claiming iPhone 5 is going with a 4-inch screen to better compete with the slew of large size Android devices from the likes of Motorola and Samsung.

The component suppliers noted that the production lines for Apple’s next generation iPhone have begun testing, and Apple is interesting in expanding the screen size to 4-inches to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market.

This according to “upstream component suppliers” (whom we’d dearly love to put into a steel cage match against “people familiar with the situation”). But hey, a 4-inch iPhone 5 would leave 3.5-inches wide open as the new “nano” size, now wouldn’t it? (And it would mesh with those “complete redesign” rumors from Engadget last month.)

When we asked you back in September what iPhone screen size you preferred, almost 30% of you wanted 4-inches, second only to the almost 35% who wanted to keep it the same. If Apple does go to 4-inches, the Retina Display would lose some density (Apple is not about to change pixel count) so is that something Jobs and co. would really consider doing? Is it something you want to do?

And what’s with all the crazy rumors this week anyway? Oh, that’s right…

[Digitimes, thanks Anthony!]

It looks like our good friends over at 9 To 5 Mac and iFixYouri have managed to get their hands on what might just be an iPad 2 display fresh from the assembly lines in China. According to them, the display is lighter as well as just over a 1 mm thinner than the current generation iPad display. The frame around the screen is also noticeably smaller as well.This seems to make sense as all of Apple’s products have been getting smaller and thinner recently, and reducing the iPad’s weight would be a huge plus.

The part number (LP097X02-SLN1) appears to be an LG Phillips 9.7in XGA 1024×768 H-IPS display, which is the same resolution as the current iPad. This matches up with theories that it’s still too expensive to go to a 2x 2048×1536 Retina Display this year, and it’s a non-starter for developers to go 1.5x or anything in between.

Check out some candid shots of both displays after the break and let us know — would you be happy with this display in iPad 2?

[ 9 To 5 Mac ]

According to Digitimes, Apple’s iPad will will be featuring an LCD display with BLUs (Back Light Units) from supplier Coretronic. That, of course, means once again no S/AMOLED displays for an Apple device.

We have talked about numerous iPad specs and features but we’ve all pretty much assumed Apple would stick with LED lit LCD with IPS panels, given the success they have had with current iPhone 4 and iPad displays. AMOLED can be beautiful and performance in daylight has improved but both technologies still have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Not addressed is whether or not this LCD panel has a Retina Display, but we’re still thinking the technology to pack 2048×1536 pixels into a 9.7-inch screen is a ways off.

Are you upset about the iPad 2 sticking with LCD? Were you hoping for S/AMOLED screen? Holding hope for a Retina Display? Tell us your take on this after the break!

[ Digitimes via 9To5 Mac ]

What says winter like an Apple Retail Store iPad snow globe, right? Complete with falling snow, curved glass, and recommended apps for just that holiday season. At my local Apple Store this new display just replaced the previous iPad on top of giant books and other desk accessories, while the poor old iPhone 4 display has been ousted in favor of giant cutout Beatles. Come on, we know where Steve Jobs’ heart is this holiday, right?

There are also some changes inside, namely a new Express Store within the store, roped off and stocked up with iPad, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and gift cards. I wonder how long those will last after the Black Friday sales start tomorrow?

Pictures after the break.

Hitachi Displays out of Japan have been working on a new type of capacitive display technology that Apple could use in the next-generation iPhone 5 coming in 2011 that allows for interacting with the screen without direct skin contact, such as when using the device with gloves. From Patently Apple:

The new touch panel is still a projection design, but could be operated even while wearing gloves. The new panels range from 3 to 10 inches in size, covering Apple’s current lines of iOS based devices. Considering that Apple is a pioneering leader in this field, we’re likely to see this technology come to iOS based devices in the coming years.

This is a really neat idea. I can’t tell you the number of times during the winter months when I’d appreciate such a technology as this (as opposed to spending $20+ on a pair of special “iPhone gloves”, pictured above). This would also be great for using a non-iPhone specific stylus if you’re still into using technology dating back to the late 90′s.

How about you, would you be happy seeing this integrated into future iPhone or iPad displays, or would you not notice the added value? Let us know what you think in the comments!

[Patently Apple]

Apple didn’t list IPS (inter plane switching) as part of the iPod touch 4 specs for a reason — the iPod touch 4 screen, while LED and “Retina Display” 960×640 resolution lacks the IPS technology of the iPhone 4 display.

IPS, which Apple has rolled out for everything from iMac to iPad to iPhone 4 provides a much greater viewing range than a standard display.

So the still camera isn’t the only step down when you go from iPhone 4 to iPod touch, but does anyone out there care as much about IPS?

[Engadget]

This week I am taking a look at Air Display by Avatron Software. You may have heard of Avatron as they make the great Air Sharing apps for iPhone and iPad. This app works like an external display for your Mac desktop or laptop (good news PC owners, it will work on a PC soon!).

To get started, you need to download the desktop app from Avatron’s website. The desktop app works like a display driver for an external monitor. Once installed, you will need to pair your iPad and Mac together. You can set the Air Display app to appear in the Apple menu bar across the top of the screen for easy access.

Once activated, open the app on the iPad. You get the typical background wallpaper that you have set for your external monitors. If you choose, you can even change the wallpaper for the iPad when displaying as a monitor. One of the first things I recommend doing is going into your Apple System Preferences and arranging the iPad monitor the way you want. Right side, left side, etc. I also took the extra effort to have the iPad’s placement reflect proper placement on the Monitor Arrangement screen too. This way when you drag your cursor to the iPad, it represents its real-time location. One more thing when it comes to monitor setup on the Mac, if you use Spaces, the iPad shows up as an individual display on each separate space- nice.

Once configured, using Air Display is a breeze; drag content to the iPad and release, it’s that simple. Due to the iPad’s size, apps that are best used on the display are things like iChat, Skype, etc. Also, since the monitor is projected via Wi-Fi, the monitor refresh is poor. So, as you move windows or objects around, they tend to be a little jerky. I would not use this monitor for anything that involves animation for this reason.

If you find your desktop just isn’t big enough and using Spaces on your Mac can’t get the job done, Air Display is an excellent way to use your iPad when it is just chillin’ next to your Mac.

[$9.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Excellent external mini-monitor
• Great for Chats or Skype
• Shows as an additional monitor in Spaces on the Mac
• Works as advertised

Cons

• Movement is slow and jerky
• Can’t use effectively for anything that requires animation

UPDATE 2: Daring Fireball checked with source at Apple‘s iPhone Engineering who confirmed that:

there were no changes regarding display color temperature between 5A345 and 5A347, and that there’s no practical reason why someone with an iPhone with 5A345 installed should go through a complete system restoration just to get 5A347.

And that, while there did appear to be differences in “yellowness” from iPhone 3G to iPhone 3G, it was not due to firmware (perhaps components?).

UPDATE: If your screen is really too yellow, like Simpson’s yellow, some users are posting that by hooking your iPhone 3G up to iTunes and doing a restore, the shipped firmware buld (5A345) gets replaced with the newer firmware build (5A347), which is less yellow. (Thanks Jack for the tip!) I can’t recommend it since I haven’t done it personally, but it’s always an option. Also, Daring Fireball is reporting that more recent iPhone 2G models also have the warmer yellow screens. He thinks this may indicate a hardware change, but I’m not sure if he checked all the firmware details yet?

Original Post:

The interwebs are literally a Twitter about the new iPhone 3G and it’s brighter, yet strangely yellower screen. While some people can’t seem to see a difference, or can only notice the difference when compared side-by-side with an original iPhone 2G’s darker, more blue-tinted screen, for others its annoyingly obvious.

Personally, I’m in the second camp while Brian seems to be gravitating towards the latter, especially considering Apple in their usually hyper-controlling manner, has failed to provide a way for individuals to control their own screen settings and change the hue, brightness, and other display aspects themselves.

Turns out it’s not an accident either. Engadget tracked down Bob Borchers, senior director of product marketing for the iPhone, who shed some light on Apple’s thinking:

According to Bob (and Apple), the screen’s color temperature has been purposely altered on the new iPhone to produce warmer, more natural tones, sharper images, and deeper blacks. The company says that 1st gen iPhone screens appeared colder and less defined, and they made some adjustments for the new models. In our opinion, what he says is right on — the screens do look better on the iPhone 3G versus the older variety.