LG Begins Mass Production of Displays Said to Be for Next iPhone

Reuters reports that LG Display has officially announced the start of mass production on new displays that are thought to be making their way into the next-generation iPhone. The news, which follows similar comments from Sharp earlier this month, comes three weeks ahead of Apple's expected media event to introduce the new device.

Flat-screen maker LG Display has started mass production of a new and thinner display, widely speculated to be for use in Apple Inc's next iPhone, and the display's production schedule remains in line with customers' product release plans, LG's chief executive said.

"We just began mass production and we don't expect any disruption in supplies," Han Sang-beom, chief executive of LG Display, a panel supplier for Apple products, told reporters late on Wednesday.

The report also reiterates claims that the new iPhone displays will measure four inches diagonally and incorporate in-cell technology to embed touch sensors directly into the display, thereby decreasing the thickness of the component.

Update 8:17 PM: The Wall Street Journal has a similar report discussing Apple's plans for the panels:

The chief executive of LG Display Co. said the company has started the mass production of panels using the so-called in-cell technology since earlier this month, a new display technology that is widely expected to be used for Apple Inc.'s next iPhone device.

"We had some hard times (in developing the new in-cell technology) at first ... but it seems those hard times have finally ended," Han Sang-beom, LG Display's chief executive, told reporters late Wednesday.

"The in-cell technology is the industry's latest development. (But) we will be able to supply the panels without any fail," Mr. Han said.

The report goes on to note that LG, Sharp, and Japan Display are all producing displays with in-cell touch sensors for the next-generation iPhone, meeting their production goals despite the challenges of the new technology.