LCD burn-in issues are allegedly causing the retina iPad mini release delay

[RaduTyrsina]

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Some of you are probably already enjoying their recently acquired iPad Airs, while others are still waiting for the day when the iPad Mini with Retina Display will finally go on sale. According to Korean language publication ETNews, the delay in iPad Mini 2’s release is reportedly caused by burn-in issues on Sharp-made LCD panels.

Moon Bo-gyeong with ETNews said the following, detailing the issue and the causes that lead to it:

The burn-in problem was caused by the drastic reduction of the pixel size. The resolution of the 7.9-inch iPad mini with Retina display is 2048×1536, about four times clearer than the existing 1024×768 products. LG Display used the amorphous silicon (a-Si) for the substrate, whereas Sharp used IGZO. The pixel of the smartphone display is smaller than that of the iPad mini Retina panel, but as the Low Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon (LTPS) technology is used, it can be produced stably. The pixel of the iPad mini Retina is the smallest among those products using a-Si. Sharp failed to solve the chronic problem of IGZO, i.e. uniformity, and its yield went down.

The fact that the release date for the iPad mini with Retina display hasn’t yet been fixed points to the fact that Apple hasn’t yet managed to solve the bottlenecks in the Retina panels production. If the woes continue, then Apple will have to reach out to Samsung for help.

ETNews also notes that the burn-in problem is not visible to the eyes of ordinary users, “but does not meet the particular technological standards of Appleâ€. Cited by Bo-gyeong, an industry expert said the following:

If the burn-in problem is not solved, Apple will be in a fix. If Apple relaxes the technological standards for the burn-in, consumers’ perception of Apple may deteriorate, and if not, it will have to change its supply chain and delay the launch of the new product.

If Apple fails to launch the iPad Mini with Retina display before the end of this month, it will miss the opportunity to benefit from the lucrative holiday season. But let’s hope that Target’s leak from the end of October is correct and we will indeed see the iPad Mini launch before the beginning of December.

Source: ETNews