December 11, 2023 – Insider Ross Young has revealed that Apple’s supply chain has started providing 12.9-inch iPad Air display panels to Apple this month, with the new product set for an official launch in March next year.
Reports suggest that Apple will release two different sizes of iPad Air in March 2024, namely 10.9 inches and the largest ever 12.9 inches in Apple’s history.
It’s worth noting that the 12.9-inch iPad Air will still feature an LCD screen, rather than the mini-LED technology found in some other Apple devices. Its pricing will fall somewhere between the 10.9-inch iPad Air and the 11-inch iPad Pro.
What sets this LCD panel apart is its use of oxide backplane technology instead of the a-Si backplane used in the current iPad Air models. Backplanes in LCD panels come in three main types based on the materials used: a-Si amorphous silicon, LTPS low-temperature polysilicon, and Oxide metal oxide.
Among these, Oxide metal oxide is the most expensive in terms of manufacturing costs. The new iPad Air adopts oxide backplane technology, which falls under the Oxide metal oxide category. This material choice offers outstanding display performance, enhancing the overall user experience.
