Rumored iPad Mini Gets Exclusive Feature from Apple

Apple AAPL will reportedly add a gorgeous IGZO display to the highly anticipated iPad Mini. According to AppleInsider, anonymous sources told the Chinese-language site MyDrivers.com that the seven-inch tablet will be as thin as the iPad 2 and will feature greater endurance. (AppleInsider speculates that this means the battery life has been extended.) The iPad Mini will also be "optimized to reach 330 pixels per inch." To be clear, this is rumor about a product that Apple has yet to confirm. It does, however, show some promise. IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) is a new semiconducting material that Sharp Electronics is using for its transparent thin-film transistors. In April, Register Hardware reported that Sharp had begun producing a wide variety of IGZO panels ranging from seven inches to 32 inches. IGZO displays contain smaller pixels - which, according to Register Hardware, means that "more light can pass through them, so backlights need not be so bright." This could enable Apple to reduce power consumption by as much as 33 percent. However, the IGZO screen could come at a price. The iPad Mini is rumored to cost between $249 and $299. By comparison, Google GOOG and Amazon AMZN sell their respective, seven-inch tablets for $199. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ