Apple iPhone 5 To Feature Bigger, Thinner Touch Screen

The anticipation for Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) new iPhone continues to build. So much so, that another company’s CEO is excited enough to mention his company’s role in the construction of said iPhone 5.

Thursday morning, Sharp president Takashi Okuda announced that his company will be shipping screens this month that will go into Apple’s new iPhone, scheduled for release in late October. What makes this so noteworthy is that Sharp executives have generally been tight-lipped about even being involved in Apple products, so to even acknowledge this is a big step and a possible sign that Sharp may reconize the power behind an association with the Apple brand.

While Mr. Okuda did not go into detail about the screen itself, it purportedly will be a little taller than other iPhone screens and would meausre about 4 inches diagonally while being the same width. The photo above is supposed to be a prototype of the i5. Sharp has been talked about as the supplier of screens for the next iPhone for a while now, so this comes as confirmation. The new touch screen is supposed to be even thinner than past models, with an in-cell technology that places touch sensors directly into the LCD, which eliminates the touch-scrren layer that has been on top of other screens. This allows Apple more flexibility in the phone’s design.

Sharp joins LG and Japan Display as the three companies contracted to build the new iPhone screens.

Apple has announced an event September 12 that is supposed to be the unveiling of the iPhone 5 – which is unusual for Apple, since it usually holds such events less than two weeks before the official release – which had been set for October 26.