iPad Mini Tipped For ITO Coating Tech

The potential design of the iPad mini was fervently detailed in several reports this week, but not much is known surrounding the specs or technology behind the device. DigiTimes reports that Efun Technology, a company that produces film coatings for touchscreens on smartphones and tablets, has been tipped for a profit increase over a possible deal with Apple. The company would supply ITO film coatings for the iPad mini as well as future iPads.

The indium tin oxide coating is a transparent substance that can conduct electricity, designed to act as an EMI shield in order to reduce interference from radio waves. That should help reduce interference to 3G or WiFi radios located on mobile devices, with the technology already reportedly in use on various Samsung handsets. Efun has seen its profits double as a result of the production of the technology, with recent favourable financial information tipping a deal with Apple.

This week design details were alluded to in several separate reports. The iPad mini will reportedly use a much thinner bezel, with users being able to grasp the tablet from the back rather than with a thumb grip from the sides. The volume buttons may also feature separate physical buttons rather than the volume rocker found on the current iPad.

Schematics that were first discovered back in April back up the design reports, suggesting that the tablet will also be much thinner than the current iPad. Apple had to make a thickness concession with the current iPad due to the Retina display and huge increase in battery capacity, features which won't make the jump to the iPad mini, allowing for a thinner device as a result. Reports all seem to point towards a 7.85-inch screen, with Apple tipped to unveil the iPad mini on September 12th alongside the next iPhone.

[via Apple Insider]