Japan's Asahi Glass will soon begin producing glass for touch panels on smartphones and tablet PCs that is thinner than sheets from competitors. The glass could contribute to making smartphones and tablet PCs thinner and lighter. Japan’s Asahi Glass will soon begin producing glass for touch panels on smartphones and tablet PCs that is thinner than sheets from competitors. The glass could contribute to making smartphones and tablet PCs thinner and lighter.The new substrate glass is 0.28 millimeters thick, which makes it 15 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the slimmest alternatives available now commercially, Asahi Glass said on Thursday.The substrate is the piece of glass on which a touch panel is built. It is positioned above the LCD screen and below the front cover glass on smartphones and tablets. The thinner glass will shave 0.05 millimeters off the thinnest existing touchscreen substrates, the company said. It doesn’t sound like much, but smartphone makers are continually looking for components that can help reduce the size and weight of their products. Mass production will start before the end of the month, the company said. Asahi Glass expects annual sales of the new glass to top ¥10 billion (US$1.22 billion) in 2013.It’s unclear when consumers will start to see products containing the thin substrates, Oda said. Users of tablet PCs, smartphones and other handhelds generally welcome any device that is thinner and lighter than what’s out there today, said Annabelle Hsu , a display panel analyst with IDC in Taipei. The thinner substrate should not add to phone or tablet prices, she said. Related content news analysis DHS unveils one common platform for reporting cyber incidents Ahead of CISA cyber incident reporting regulations, DHS issued a report on harmonizing 52 cyber incident reporting requirements, presenting a model common reporting platform that could encompass them all. By Cynthia Brumfield Sep 25, 2023 10 mins Regulation Regulation Regulation news Chinese state actors behind espionage attacks on Southeast Asian government The distinct groups of activities formed three different clusters, each attributed to a specific APT group. By Shweta Sharma Sep 25, 2023 4 mins Advanced Persistent Threats Cyberattacks feature How to pick the best endpoint detection and response solution EDR software has emerged as one of the preeminent tools in the CISO’s arsenal. Here’s what to look for and what to avoid when choosing EDR software. By Linda Rosencrance Sep 25, 2023 10 mins Intrusion Detection Software Security Monitoring Software Data and Information Security feature Top cybersecurity M&A deals for 2023 Fears of recession, rising interest rates, mass tech layoffs, and conservative spending trends are likely to make dealmakers cautious, but an ever-increasing need to defend against bigger and faster attacks will likely keep M&A activity steady in By CSO Staff Sep 22, 2023 24 mins Mergers and Acquisitions Data and Information Security IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe