The business of mobile technology, apparently, is no longer just a battle among the fittest, but the biggest as well.
A 4.7 or 5.5-inch screen of Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C models -- saw it coming?
Bigger screens could be expected in autumn, with the 4.7 inch model produced first before the other 5.5-inch model. Sources told Reuters that these two new screens would use in-cell touch panel technology assembled into the screen, which would allow for thinner construction as opposed to the standard touch panel films introduced with the iPhone 5.
Production of iPhone 6 screens will start with JDI as early as May at its flagship plant in Mobara, east of Tokyo. The remaining two suppliers will begin around June.
The 4.7-inch screen will hit the production line first because of the difficulties with the in-cell production technology for the bigger one. The 5.5-inch version will be produced several months later and possibly will move to film sensor than the use of in-cell technology.
Interestingly, allegedly tapped to make the large screens are LG Display Co. Ltd, Sharp Corp. and Japan Display Inc. (JDI), based on sources who requested not to be identified. JDI, in particular, has been a supplier of displays to Android smartphone manufacturers.
If these reports of bigger screens for Apple's iPhone 6 were true, then the move to go with bigger screens will prove to be a major transformation for what Apple products have been much known for. This will also show the company's attempt to move ahead of its tough rival in the mobile industry, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
Undeniably, Apple is hard-pressed to provide product innovations in the mobile industry, and here's why.
"Apple's shares have languished below $600 since November 2012, in part because of worries about smartphone market saturation and its ability to stay at the forefront of tech innovation," one report said.
There have also been reports about the better resolution of the new iteration of the iPhone compared to the current version.
JDI, a world leader in mobile display technology, has also announced of its wide Quad HD 5.5-inch display expected to start mass production by April.
"The product in question boasts a world-class screen resolution of 538 ppi among the volume production products. It reproduces photo images and videos more realistically than in the Full-HD format with a resolution of 1,080 horizontal pixels x 1,920 vertical pixels on smartphone displays. With this product as a starter, JDI will be releasing a number of WQHD products in 2014 and it is anticipated that a new leading-edge range will emerge in the smartphone sector," JDI says in statement.
However, industry experts and critics have their doubts on JDI's public announcement about Apple tapping the former to make those screens.
"Typically, Apple wants 'first dibs' on the new part, so it's a little surprising that JDI is announcing this now... We don't expect to see the iPhone 6 until second half 2014," Paul Semenza, a senior VP at NPD DisplaySearch, said of JDI's announcement.
