14 DAY TRIAL // The first pictures and diagrams of a new touchscreen display for Apple's iPhone have surfaced on the web. A Taiwanese company going by the name of Host Optical claims these are the touch-screens being used in "an upcoming iPhone," iLounge reports.
The images depict different models of different sized touch-screens, all meant for Apple's iPhone. Why are there different sizes? Well, it's not the first time it is being rumored that Apple plans to release an iPhone nano. The smaller, 2.8-inch screen makes a lot of sense as a component for a lower-end, cheaper device.
The 2.8-inch display is shown alongside the 3.2-inch version. The two sizes would indicate Apple is releasing not one, but two shrunken-down iPhone models, since the currently-available model boasts a 3.5-inch touch-screen.
Host Optical, the alleged developer of these displays, describes the screens as "projected capacitance touch panel[s]," which come with "a collection of characteristics that it suggests are superior to the ones being used in the original iPhone," the news source mentions. The company also claims the displays have "no significant" aging effect, meaning they will not get less sensitive over time - a truly important aspect for touch-screen devices.
The screens are also (allegedly) "more durable than alternatives, waterproof," and "resistant to high humidities and temperatures."
Back to the intriguing 2.8-inch screen, it is shown as having a 52.6mm (2.1 inch) by 67.7mm (2.7 inch) component footprint, according to iLounge, with an actual viewing area of 45.6mm (1.8 inch) by 60mm (2.4 inch). An additional 15-20mm (0.6 inch-0.8 inch) of height is due to the black frame hosting the Home button, which also provides room for the control circuitry and connector.
The small 2.8-inch screen could also be used in a new, fourth-generation iPod nano, the source suggests.