14 DAY TRIAL // Attending a news conference in Tokyo today, Sharp Corp's President Takashi Okuda confirmed to the press that production of the iPhone 5 displays is underway at the Japanese company’s plants.
After disclosing disappointing quarterly results, Takashi Okuda decided to restore investors’ faith at a press briefing in Tokyo today saying his company would start shipping screens for a new iPhone as early as this month.
"Shipments will start in August," were his exact words, according to Reuters.
Apple is known to have not one, but three display suppliers in its pipeline, including LG Display Co. Ltd. and Japan Display Inc. The technology employed to make these screens is referred to as “in-cell.”
The in-cell panels are said to have their touch sensors included in the LCD structure itself, as opposed to the traditional way of making touch-screens today, which involves an additional glass panel called a “digitizer.”
Thanks to the exclusion of this hardware piece (as well as other design breakthroughs), the iPhone 5 is expected to be thinner and lighter than its predecessors.
According to recent reports dished out by sources that have been reliable in the past, the Cupertino, California-based electronics giant that sells Macs, iPods, and iPads, is planning to host a special event on September 12 during which it will ceremoniously introduce the next-generation iPhone.
Several hardware leaks have done a great job at painting a picture of what the handset would look like, though Apple may still surprise us with an altogether different design.
The smartphone will come pre-loaded with iOS 6 which, among other notable features, includes an all-new Maps application with 3D flyover views and spoken directions. iOS 6 has been confirmed for fall 2012 by Apple.