14 DAY TRIAL // Citing industry insiders, a Korean newspaper reveals that Apple has finally “decided” to employ IGZO technology for the displays used in its upcoming tablet computers and laptops.
According to these insiders, “having decided to apply the IGZO method to displays for MacBook, Apple is talking with LCD panel manufacturers, such as Sharp and LG Display,” reads the ETN report.
The reason is “to lessen mobile devices’ energy consumption,” says the paper.
IGZO is short for “indium gallium zinc oxide,” which is a semiconducting material co-developed by Sharp Corporation and Semiconductor Energy Laboratories.
Two companies are handling the material well these days, and those are the aforementioned Sharp and LG Display, which makes it pretty clear why Apple would go with those two panel manufacturers.
IGZO replaces amorphous silicon for the active layer of an LCD screen, and has 40 times higher electron mobility than amorphous silicon, which allows either smaller pixels or much higher reaction speeds. In any case, it’s a brilliant invention and one that Apple won’t hesitate to employ to add more value to its iPads and MacBooks.