14 DAY TRIAL // The next-generation full-size iPad will be lighter and thinner, industry sources say. To achieve a smaller form factor while retaining the same screen size, Apple will employ various new technologies, among which one borrowed from the iPad mini.
The iPad 5 is “expected to use the same thin-film DITO (G/F2) touch panel structure as Apple's current iPad mini,” reports DigiTimes, a hit-and-miss trade publication based in Taiwan.
The paper has connections to Apple’s suppliers, but it has been unreliable more often than not. Reports based on their intel are usually taken with a grain of salt, and this time shouldn’t be any different.
However, considering Apple’s modus operandi, it’s pretty much a given that the iPad 5 will employ thin-film panels to help with the tablet’s thinness and weight.
DigiTimes also notes that the move would translate into some big profits for Taiwan-based thin-film supplier TPK, the main supplier of such displays for the iPad mini.