iPhone 5 it is the first, and for now the only, Apple iDevice that has screens manufactured using in-cell technology, but this could change in the near future. According to those from Digitimes, over 170 million of the mobile terminals sold in 2013 would contain this technology and we are probably not talking only about iDevices. Although Apple is probably the biggest buyer of screens using this technology, things could change in the future.
Approximately 170 million handsets sold in 2013 are expected to use in-cell touch technology, according to the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) under the Taiwan government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). IEK said that approximately 25% of mid-range and high-end handsets sold in 2013 are expected to use the technology, indicating that yields for the technology are increasing and that handset makers are looking to make their devices thinner and lighter. IEK also said that it expects in-cell technology's CAGR over the next four years to be at 25%.
Although Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), generally prefers to exclusively use an important technology, it seems that its partners are willing to sell the technology including to other mobile terminal manufacturers. Nobody knows for sure for now who would implement the in-cell technology in their own terminals, apart from those from Apple, but Samsung is certainly not among them.
