14 DAY TRIAL // We haven’t been receiving any news from the iPad front in the last few months, but rumor has it Apple is looking to revamp its existing models later this year.
On top of that, there’s the extremely elusive iPad Pro model, which has been showing up in the rumor mill on and off.
Today, we get a bunch of freshly squeezed information related to the upcoming tablet, as it has been revealed that, apparently, Apple has been working out a deal with its display suppliers including LG, JDI and Samsung, which have been tasked to start mass-producing AgNW-coated touch panels for the iPad Pro displays.
AgNW translates into silver nanowire, a material used for creating transparent conductive layers from single crystals of silver nano wires.
The current industry standard is indium tin oxide coating, but the new technology is expected to offer better sensitivity and compatibility with flexible displays, which will surely become mainstream in the future.
AgNW has multiple benefits
AgNW allows multiple pressure sensitivity levels, so it appears that rumors about Apple wanting to implement its Force Touch technology into the future iPad are probably true.
On top of that, the technology increases touch-screen capabilities of a flexible screen and it has greater accuracy, which will certainly come in handy when trying to write or draw with a smart pen on the surface of the device (the iPad Pro is rumored to come with one).
Moreover, AgNW should also lead to a decrease in manufacturing costs, simply because AgNW does not require the use of rare materials such as indium.
Furthermore, the report also reveals that Apple is entertaining the idea of applying a sapphire glass panel with the AgNW coating. Technically, this would mean the iPad Pro will be a lot thinner and lighter.
However, as much as we were hoping to see the iPad Pro arrive later this year, industry sources familiar with the matter now seem to believe that the AgNW technology will be used on the new tablet model “next year.”
So we shouldn’t be holding our breath for seeing a new iPad model grace the market in 2015. Hopefully, Apple is still looking to refresh the iPad 2 and iPad mini 3 this year.
