Japanese display manufacturer Sharp, famous for its beautiful HDTVs, is supposedly increasing production of a new screen technology that is rumored to be favored by Apple for some of its new devices. This news comes from the company even as its yearly outlook declined significantly toward another large fiscal loss.
The company, which is based in Osaka, Japan, is one of the largest manufacturers of LCD screens in the world and recently stated that it would invest $150 million to build up its production capacity for IGZO (indium, gallium, zinc) display technology, which analysts and media reports are saying will be used in Apple’s upcoming devices, including the the newest update to the iPad.
Sharp finalized a deal last month in which it sold half a core LCD factory and almost a 10% stake in the company to Hon Hai Precision Industry, the parent company of Foxconn Electronics, which is also a main producer of Apple products. Coincidence? I think not.
In addition to that, Sharp says that the new displays cut power consumption by as much as 90% and allow for a far greater detail at the same transparency, keys for prolonging the battery life of portable devices where screens are a major power drain. Sharp also stated that it began mass production of IGZO screens back in April.
Sharp is hoping that such advanced technologies will eventually lead the company back to profitability. However, the company did say that things will get worse before they get better and now expects its losses for the fiscal year through March 2013 to be over eight times worse than it did only three months ago. Sharp also said that it is spending heavily to reconstruct its business after a heavy loss last year along with dealing with falling sales in both Japan and China in addition to overstock.
Source: Computer World – Sharp ramps up production of rumored Apple screens
