According to a new report, published by Korea IT News, Apple has requested for silver nanowire material from its display suppliers like Samsung Display and LG Display among others. The new material being investigated for use in the larger iPad is expected to enable Apple to make a thinner display for its upcoming iPad and increase touch sensitivity.

As the name suggests, the material is created from a mesh of silver wires which dramatically increases conductivity and eliminates the need for additional sensors to make multi-touch technology work.

iPad Pro isn’t expected to be announced this year. The report suggests that the company is aiming for 2016 release date. The device is also expected to include NFC chip to bring Apple Pay support to the tablet.

Apple’s next gen products always tend to be thinner than previous. If we compare the original iPad with the iPad Air 2 it will be clear that for the tablet category weight and thickness are very important aspects. We can certainly expect Apple to adopt new display technology even if it saves the slightest bit of weight or thickness.

It is will be interesting to see if the iPad Pro actually ships with a stylus as the company has never officially appreciated the development surrounding the stylus accessory. The most recent exception to this public acknowledgement of the stylus adding value to the iPad is the latest ad campaign which shows an app from the App Store being used with a stylus.

Are you excited about iPad Pro? Do you think it will ship with a stylus? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple is expected to release its next iPhone 5 later this year, and a number of reports have suggested that the screen is going to be made taller to accommodate up to 4 inches. These rumors were entirely speculative until a recent report from japanese site Macotakara, which posted images and a video showing what appears to a taller iPhone 5 screen, with an overall design that looks very similar to the current iPhone 4S screen. The front panel also had a relocated FaceTime camera, now above the earpiece of the iPhone and centered on the device, similar to the iPod touch.

This is the first time that a part capable of being for the next gen iPhone 5 has surfaced and is likely not only taller, but from the images, wider as well. With iOS 6, Apple will likely expand the existing apps on the App Store, in order to fit the new screen size without compromising the number of pixels per inch. Earlier in the month, reports that Apple was purchasing 4 inch screens from a number of suppliers surfaced. Suppliers included LG Display, Sharp, and Japan Display Inc., which also supply Apple with screens for a number of its other iOS products.

The iPhone’s screen size has remained the same since the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007, only experiencing a major change during the release of the Retina Display. This would be the first time that Apple would change the 3.5 inch display in any way, and it appears in good fashion too, making it much taller than the current display. Apple has not changed the width, and has emphasized in the past that this would cause issues with resolution and users being able to text with one hand.

Apple’s next gen iPhone 5 is expected to be released during the same October timeframe as the iPhone 4S and will likely be released alongside iOS 6 after a developer preview of the new software during Apple’s WWDC conference from June 11-15.

{via AppleInsider — Image Credit: Macotakara}

Reports about the treatment of workers at Apple Inc. (AAPL) Supplier factories in other countries surfaced on Thursday, revealing that the companies ignored many issues with their workers, many cases which led to suicide in a Foxconn factory. On Friday, AAPL CEO Tim Cook responded to the reports, suggesting that Apple takes any and all employee issues seriously and is now investigating and addressing any issues or concerns. 9to5Mac reported Tim Cook’s reponse on Apple’s efforts to oversee compliance with company standards for workers’ rights.

As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values. Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are.

Cook also goes on to thank employees who are focusing and helping with these issues and that Apple is taking this very seriously and will continue to increase its efforts.

We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word.

The New York Times has also gathered statements from Chinese readers, who suggest that this issue is not specific to Apple and is rather a widespread issue, which should be addressed with governmental regulations. This issue appears to be very prevalent in manufacturing factories, such as Apple’s Foxconn supplier and many other companies who outsource manufacturing.

{via Mac Rumors}

A local Chinese-language newspaper reported Friday that iPad3 might be launched on Feb. 24 to mark the anniversary of the birth of Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Citing sources close to Taiwanese makers in the iPad3 supply chain, the Economic Daily News said the gadget could be launched in mid-first quarter of next year or by the end of next March.

It has also been reported that workers at iPad component suppliers as well as workers at Foxconn will have limited time off during the usual Lunar New Year holiday and may be working over time in order to get the iPad 3 available in the market in time.

The lunar holiday is usually January 23rd, and workers receive several days off around the time, however, with the iPad 3 now pegged for a February 24th announcement to honor of Steve Jobs.

The iPad 3 is expected to receive new features including Siri, and other hardware changes. The third ten tablet from Apple could feature the all-new A6 chip and a higher resolution display.

It’s not like these devices are sat in a warehouse waiting to be sold either – everyone wants to get their hands on them, but the huge demand means the devices are sold out as soon as they’re made available and can’t currently be made quick enough.

A source provided DigiTimes with a “conservative estimate” that predicts Apple will take delivery of around 4 million iPad 2 units a month going forward, totalling more than 12 million units in the second quarter of 2011. Touchscreen suppliers have indicated that the second-generation device is selling at a much faster rate than the original iPad, which took 28 days to sell the first 1 million units.

The report also notes that “cover lenses for touch panel modules” could be one of the bottlenecks that means the iPad 2 can’t be produced fast enough. The current supply of these components will need to be more steady for Apple to meet its goals in building enough iPad 2s to go around.

However, Apple may have already secured a deal for more touch panels. In January the company revealed that it had invested $3.8 billion into long-term component contracts, though it would not disclose which components were linked to the deal. It has since been speculated that glass capacitive touch panels may have been involved.

The iPad 2 launched internationally just 12 days ago, and the consistent demand for the device means that stores are selling the device before they even get them in. This lack of supply suggests that out of the 2.4 million to 2.6 million of the devices Apple has received, so far nearly all units have been sold.

The latest rumors surrounding Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone suggest that the device won’t feature at this year’s WWDC ready for a summer 2011 launch, and a report published today by Japanese blog Macotakara.jp seems to back up these claims. Citing sources from the Chinese supply chain, Macotakara.jp says that Apple hasn’t even begun ordering components for the iPhone 5 yet, and that the company is currently focused on attracting new customers to its CDMA handset instead.

The iPhone 4 launched in February on the Verizon Wireless network in the U.S., and minor changes were made to the device to update components, redesign the antenna, and introduce a dual-band wireless chip. It seems that rather than introducing a brand new iPhone just months later, Apple will instead hold out until October of this year – possibly even later – before launching the next-generation device. It’s expected the iPhone 5 will contribute to Apple’s fiscal 2012, as opposed to its fiscal 2011 year, which ends on September 24th.

Macotakara also had something to say about the iPhones 5’s rumored aluminium back in their report; claiming that although Apple have toyed with the idea of replacing the current glass back, it has not yet made a decision on whether to change it for the fifth-generation device.

Previous reports regarding the device have revealed that Apple may currently be working on three iPhone 5 prototypes, one of which features a physical slide-out keyboard. Another is similar to the iPhone 4’s design but boasts a larger ‘edge-to-edge’ screen, a better battery, and an upgraded camera.

One of the reasons Apple has chosen to delay its launch of the iPhone 5 could be related to the white iPhone 4 the company has been promising since the device’s launch. It’s now expected that the device will come during the spring, however, it’s sure to be largely unsuccessful if a brand new device is announced just several weeks later.