Sharp

Sharp's president Takashi Okuda has reaffirmed a fall iPhone 5 release by telling Reuters his company plans to start shipping next generation iPhone displays in August. Previous reports have suggested Apple will announce the new iPhone on September 12, and release the device nine days later on Friday, September 21.

The next generation iPhone is expected to feature a larger screen to compete with larger Android devices like Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphone. Sources have told Reuters the new displays will be "4 inches corner to corner." Apple is also expected to reduce the size of the iPhone's dock connecter from 30-pins to 16.

Most of the hype surrounding the iPhone 5 display has been centered on its size, with industry observers predicting that Apple will increase the next generation display to 4 inches. New information points to an even more intriguing possibility, that the iPhone 5 will feature Sharp's IGZO display technology in a cutting-edge mobile touchscreen.

The diagram above from Semiconductor Portal illustrates the advantage of IGZO transistors. These indium, gallium, and zinc (IGZO) transistors replace standard amorphous silicon thin-film transistors in the Sharp components, which provide higher electron mobility. This means display pixels can be smaller and more light passes through the IGZO display.