There are some rumors that suggest that Apple is setting a plan on using “in-cell” display technology for the 
next-generation iPhone. The benefit of the “in-cell” is the touch panel can be made thinner as the touch sensors would not be placed on the top of the color filters. On the contrary, the touch sensors are placed this time inside the color filters .Taiwan’s Central News agency confirms that DisplaySearch analyst David Hsieh believes that has decided to apply the new “in-cell” display technology from Japanese manufacturers .
Compared with on-cell technology, touch panels that use in-cell technology can be made thinner because the touch sensors are actually placed inside the color filters rather than on top of them, he explained.
At present, Taiwan’s TPK Holding Co. and Wintek Corp., which supply touch panels to Apple, use mainly on-cell technology in their products, according to the two companies.
Multinational companies like Sharp, and Toshiba will probably take advantage of the new “in-cell” technology for multi-touch display. Digitimes also reports that
Apple’s new iPhone, which is expected to be released in the third quarter of 2012, is likely to adopt in-cell touch panels rolled out by Sharp and Toshiba Mobile Display (TMD), according to sources in Apple’s supply chain.
“An improvement in yield rates of the in-cell touch panels at Sharp and TMD has persuaded Apple to choose to cooperate with Japan-based panel makers, the sources noted.”
Sharp will produce the in-cell panels at its 5.5G lines, while TMD will utilize its 6G lines for production, indicated the sources, adding that the two makers will begin to ramp up in-cell panel production in the second quarter of 2012.
[Via]
