iPad 5 may shed thickness by trimming LEDs

iPad 5 may shed thickness by trimming LEDs
The iPad 5 might jettison grams and millimeters via a redesigned LED backlight apparatus, according to NPD DisplaySearch. "It's likely that part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by using more efficient LEDs," said Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, in an e-mail to CNET. Related stories2009 PC shipments inch into positive territoryMicrosoft brings kids developer tool to the PC He said he also expects other modifications to reduce thickness. "The other significant change that we feel is likely is a shift to a film-based touch sensor," Semenza said. It's still a mystery whether Apple will change the display tech, though."It is not yet clear if there will be a big change to the display -- such as using IGZO," he added. (IGZO stands for indium gallium zinc oxide.) That technology has been pursued by Sharp and was originally expected to land in the third-generation Retina iPad -- but didn't.Sharp's IGZO tech is used in smaller devices sold in the Japanese market.The third- and fourth-generation iPads gained heft and thickness -- compared to the iPad 2 -- due mostly to technologies supporting the Retina display. And when will a new 9.7-inch iPad 5 arrive? The third quarter is "most likely," Semenza said.