Next Gen iPad to be 33% thinner

Reportedly, Apple’s new display will employ a GF Ditto (GF2) design rather than the G/G touch structure utilized in fourth-gen models. This change means only one layer of glass will be used as opposed to the two glass layers found in previous generations. Then end result will be a thinner and lighter display assembly. Apple’s potential switch to GF Ditto would make it the first company to commercialize and mass produce the technology.

Additionally, the newly designed glass substrate will shave off yet another two-tenths of a millimeter. Digitimes’ sources also claim the design indicates the tablet will have an even thinner bezel than previous models.

Other features rumored in the report may sound familiar, including the 9.7-inch tablet sporting a 2048 x 1536 Retina display. The display is said to feature only one LED light bar; by comparison, fourth-gen iPads pack two light bars, marginally adding to their size and weight. The new iPad is expected to run iOS 7.

Production is rumored to be starting around July and ramping up from there. Some two million units are expected to be produced by September.