Though Apple fans are warming themselves up to iPhone 5 and its new screen technology, it may be wise not to get seriously attached. According to reports coming out of China, Apple is now considering replacing the iPhone 5's "in cell" display with something called Touch On Display.
According to reports coming out of China, the company is now considering replacing the iPhone 5's "in cell" display with something called Touch On Display. This new technology is developed by Innolux, an organization that might sound new but was previously known under the name Chimei Innolux. Last year it was listed as one of Apple's component suppliers.
As The China Times reported Thursday, the main reasons compelling Apple to alter its current screen technology are consistent interference issues and problems resulting from touch screen sensitivity. Touch On Display reportedly offers an extremely thin panel with good sensitivity, potentially allowing Apple to overcome its screen manufacturing difficulties and keep slimming down its phones in a highly competitive market.
Unlike the previous screens used in iPhones, the "in cell" screen combined both display and touch capabilities into a single panel. This was supposed to increase the quality of the screen as well as hold the potential to reduce the thickness of a phone, but Apple has had notable supply chain problems since the product's launch.
For one thing, the "in cell" screen is far more expensive to produce. According to IHS iSuppli, the iPhone 5's panel cost $44 to manufacture compared to $37 for the older screen.
"This is due to the iPhone 5's larger display-at 4.0 inches diagonally, compared to 3.5 inches for the iPhone 4S-and the inclusion of the new in-cell touchscreen technology," said iSuppli back in September.
In addition to the cost of constructing the panel, producers of the screen such as Sharp faced problematic defects during manufacturing, severely limiting the number of phones Apple could launch. In fact, Sharp didn't even start shipping the product until the phone's initial launch. The phone sold 5 million units during its first weekend on sale, but analysts were expecting up to 10 million to be sold.
With pressure building for Apple to start releasing more than one phone a year, it may not be too long before users get a chance to see whether or not this new technology will be considered an upgrade.
