Apple's upcoming iPad Pro is rumored to have a flexible display that works with Force Touch, a feature that allows the display to distinguish between different types of pressure.
The latest rumor about the much anticipated 12.9-inch iPad comes from the Electronic Times, a South Korea-based media outlet, which cites sources claiming that Apple has gotten in touch with various display manufacturers asking for display samples that are coated with silver nano wire (AgNW).
Specifically, Apple reportedly contacted LG Display, Samsung Display, and Japan Display for AgNW displays, which are more flexible than the ITO-based clear film displays used in current and older iPads, for an unnamed large-screen device. AgNW is also believed to be more sensitive than older materials and can be particularly useful in identifying the difference among light, normal, and heavy pressure levels, making it very compatible with Apple's new Force Touch feature.
An increased level of sensitivity means giving users new ways of using their devices. For instance, Electronic Times says drawing on the iPad Pro will give users the ability to draw more detailed pictures, where a light touch on the display can mean thinner, more delicate lines while heavier pressures mean thicker, broader strokes.
The outlet also reports that using AgNW will be more economically beneficial for Apple, since it will do away with the use of scarce materials such as indium. However, production costs as well as the prices of Apple's devices are likely to stay the same because Apple is also reportedly considering incorporating a thin layer of sapphire crystal into the display for a slimmer and lighter profile.
If the rumor of a sapphire-embedded display is true though, the iPad Pro is not likely to have a flexible display, since sapphire is resistant to scratching but not to breaking.
The Electronics Times' source claim the flexible AgNW displays will be used on the iPad Pro in 2016, negating earlier reports that Apple will release the iPad Pro late this year.
"Apple recently requested AgNW touch-panel samples and some enterprises already delivered them to Apple," says one of the outlet's sources. "It will first be applied on (a) large-screen iPad, which will be released next year."
The iPad Pro, so named by the technology press, is believed to have a built-in NFC chip that will enable it to become an Apple Pay point-of-sale terminal, a pressure-sensitive Bluetooth stylus built by Apple, Force Touch to distinguish between a tap and a deep press, and one USB-C port. Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro will come running with Apple's latest A-series processor under the hood.
Photo: Rob Pongsajapan | Flickr
