Lighten up Apple! No, Seriously. The iPad 5: Cheaper? Lighter? or both?

(picture credits: Gizmag)



As a proud owner of a somewhat hefty Galaxy Note 10.1 AND a lighter Galaxy Tab 10.1, I can see [ feel ;) ] the positive impact on the muscles of my hands when I carry the lighter Galaxy Tab vs the Note 10.1.  Samsung has been critizied by many iFans (Apple fanatics) for making cheaper, lighter, materials.  Samsung, however, has been laughing all the way to the bank as they carefully concentrate on software vs. hardware to bring users a more rich experience.  Hence, their massive recent success.  But not so quick! Apple is not necessarily making the next generation of the iPad lighter and thinner because of cheaping out. 

As a matter of fact, this is what Digitimes reports regarding the new iPad 5:

"The display of the new iPad, which will hit market shelves as early as September, will still be a 2,048 x 1,536 Retina display, the same as the one used in the 4th-generation model, except that the new display is built on a glass substrate of 0.2mm, thinner than the 0.25mm one for the 4th-generation device, the sources said, adding the new table will has a narrow bezel.


The touch panel solution for 5th-generation iPad is GF2 (1 layer of glass and two layers of ITO film) instead of G/G bonding used in 4th-generation iPad, the sources added.

The new iPad will use one LED light bar for backlighting, compared to two LED light bars used in 4th-generation iPad, the sources noted.

The 5th-generation iPad is estimated to be 25-33% lighter than the 4th-generation one, the sources indicated."  (Credit goes to Max Wang, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES)

Who's involved in this production? Surprisingly, some of Apples biggest competitors will, too, profit from Apple's newest piece of tech goodness.  Again, per Digitimes's article, LG Display, Samsung Display and Sharp will supply the display panels.  Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology will mount the LED light bars that will power the display.  Lastly, Radiant Opto-Electronics and Coretronic will take up the backlight units and touch panel bonding, according to their sources.

So, will you pick up a new lighter iPad 5 or will your current iPad 4 hold its own?  Join the conversation as you follow me on Twitter: @maestroalvarez and on Google Plus +Joe Wallace and +cellphonius.  You can also find our YouTube channel: Cellphonius