The next generation of Apple's iPad will be using the same display technology that lets the iPad mini be so thin and light. Sourcing people "familiar with the matter", the screens for the larger device are already being made by suppliers.

The current iPad uses a glass based touch panel, but teardowns of the iPad mini shows that it uses a film based screen to recognize gestures.

Film based touchscreens are thinner and lighter than their glass counterparts and it could produce more distinction in larger devices. It's been slowly becoming more established as their performance has improved to equal it's glass equivalents. We'll know for sure on September 10. [Wall Street Journal]