Over the last couple of months Sharp has been rumored to be Apple’s partner for producing the LCDs of the mysterious “iTV” the world is waiting for. While analysts, such as Peter Misek, have been linking Sharp to Apple for a while now, definitive proof of their connection has yet to surface. However, adding to the rumors, Sharp announced today that they have begun production on 32-inch Hi-DPI LCD’s displays this March that could be used in Apple’s new iMac line that is expected to be unveiled in June.
Sharp has reogranized their Kameyama Plant No. 2 to focus on the production of small- and medium-sized LCD panels for smartphones and tablets. The new displays emply advanced IGZO oxide semiconductors which enables Sharp to product LCDs with smaller thin-film transistors and increased pixel transparency which lower energy consumption. Great for tablets. Or for a slimmer profiled iMac that Apple is expected to announce soon.
Sharp is producing the displays sized at 7-inches, 10-inches, and 32-inches. While a 32-inch display at a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution doesn’t seem quite right for an “iTV” it might be possible that Apple uses the new displays in the iMac. The largest iMac screen size is currently 27-inches, so a 5-inch boost would be pretty significant. Would that be too big for most users?
We’ll have to wait and see if Apple actually comes out with a 32-inch iMac, but if they do, we’d recommend keeping your eyes a healthy distance away from the screen, lest your retinas get burned like it’s Armageddon.
