Sharp retools TV factory on ramping IGZO screens demand for phones and maybe iPads
Sharp has apparently landed large orders for its low-power mobile display panels with the IGZO technology, as the Japanese maker has sacrificed a whole TV plant, retooling it for IGZO sheets.
This is the same Kameyama plant that Apple was rumored to front Sharp a billion last year, so that might be one of the customers here. Sharp has a few phones and a tablet with IGZO displays on the market already, but so far only in Japan. We know that the upcoming iPad 5 and the iPad mini 2 that are about to be unveiled next week would have upgraded screens inside, and would be prime candidates for IGZO in mass quantities.
We can't wait for the technology to make its way outside of the Land of the Rising Sun, too, and see if it can beat IPS-LCDs and OLED displays as the best mobile choices so far. Phones with the frugal IGZO screen panels aren't cited with the incredible battery endurance we expected from the panels specs, but that depends on many other variables, plus the IGZO tech is good in other areas as well, like high brightness and slim fit.
source: WSJ
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