14 DAY TRIAL // Whether or not Tim Cook will wait until the full refresh cycle is complete, Apple is coming out with a new iPad that boasts a better Retina display and a thinner and lighter body, according to an analysis from DisplaySearch.
Richard Shim, an analyst at DisplaySearch, told CNet, “We are seeing [Apple] work with panel makers to come out with a display that enables a thinner overall [product] with longer battery life.”
“Of course the supply chain is dynamic, but we're seeing some early indications that this may be happening,” said Shim, adding that “because of the vagaries of the supply chain […] orders get canceled, plans get changed, sometimes on a monthly basis.”
The company recently published a white paper on Apple’s plans with the Retina display inside its iPads, stating that, "Apple is working with the LCD supply chain to refresh the display, including revising the LED backlight design for cost reduction, refining the thermal solution, reducing the weight by replacing some components, and fine tuning the panel transmittance for lower power consumption."
Apple is said to be looking into IGZO technology, which is able to achieve thinner designs, better light throughput, and less power consumption (as a result of using fewer LEDs for backlighting).
“There's no question that the iPad 3 is Plan B,” said Raymond Soneira, the founder, president, and CEO of DisplayMate Technologies.
“They pushed amorphous silicon [display tech] to a higher [pixels per inch] than anybody else. But the light throughput is not good. So it has roughly twice as many LEDs, and they had to get a 70 percent larger battery," Soneira said.
Apple’s assemblers could produce as many as 7 million updated Retina iPads in October alone, according to the report. However, Apple could also wait until the refresh cycle is complete, making all these improvements with the launch of a full-fledged iPad 4.