Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple’s New Taiwanese Lab May Focus on OLED and Micro-LED Display Technology
Taiwanese website DigiTimes has published a new report corroborating rumors that Apple is developing flexible OLED technology for future devices, including iPhones and iPads, at its newly discovered factory in northern Taiwan.
The report, citing sources within the Taiwanese supply chain, claims Apple has recruited a team of R&D engineers from local companies including AU Optronics and Qualcomm subsidiary SolLink, echoing a Bloomberg report from earlier this week.
Last month, Japanese website Nikkei reported that Apple plans to switch to OLED displays for iPhones starting in 2018. The report said LG Display and Samsung Electronics will likely share a large portion of the OLED panel production, with LG already planning capacity upgrades for high-volume organic light-emitting diode production.
Apple's current LCD supplier Japan Display is also reportedly in negotiations with Apple about securing OLED orders for future iPhones, in an effort to compete with LG and Samsung. The joint venture between Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba reportedly plans to begin mass production of OLED panels in early 2018.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will continue using TFT-LCD display technology for iPhones for at least the next three years, lining up with the 2018 timeframe claimed by other reports. Kuo also said Apple manufacturer Foxconn is preparing to invest in advanced TFT-LCD production lines for mass production in 2018.
While multiple reports suggest Apple is moving towards OLED displays for iPhones, including DigiTimes, the Taiwanese website shared a second report claiming Apple may focus on micro-LED technology at its secretive Taiwanese factory. The report does not specify if the technology would be used for iPhones or other future devices.
Micro-LED displays eliminate the need for backlighting unlike traditional LCDs, and allow for improved color gamut in addition to higher resolution. However, the technology suffers from low yields when used in a TFT manufacturing process and therefore is difficult to mass produce. […]Apple acquired micro-LED display maker LuxVue Technology in 2014. Back in December of 2013, LuxVue raised $25.2 million in funding to pursue the display technology, and the company also filed several patents on micro-LEDs. At the time, one of LuxVue's investors said the company had "a technical breakthrough in displays."
However, it is still too early to know whether Apple plans to use micro-LED displays for existing or new applications. Apple is showing signs of moving toward OLED for most of its small- to medium-size products as early as 2017-2018 based on emerging developments in the display industry.
OLED displays generally have brighter colors and deeper blacks, and no backlight increases power efficiency, but the panels can also have shorter lifespans and higher manufacturing costs compared to LCD technology. Apple has reportedly been "consulting with display makers" about OLED technology to eliminate potential drawbacks.
Samsung's flagship lineup of Galaxy smartphones have long used AMOLED displays, but iPhones have stuck to various LCD technologies since the original model launched in 2007. The first and only Apple product to feature OLED display technology is the Apple Watch, but the 1.5-inch to 1.7-inch screen is only a fraction of the size of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s and 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus.
[ 79 comments ]
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46 months ago
OLED would be amazing if it weren't for the technology's sensitivity to screen burn in.
That's why it's perfect for Android phones - - your screen becomes unreadable at the same time as your system updates run out in 18 months.
46 months ago
Apple may focus on micro-LED technology at its secretive Taiwanese factory.
What is this? An LED for ants?
46 months ago
Truthful headline: We don't know what the new Taiwanese lab does so we're just going to guess
46 months ago
Considering the drawbacks involved in the use of OLED display, the rumors is very interesting .
I'd like Apple to stay away from OLED technology
I'd like Apple to stay away from OLED technology
46 months ago
If photography is your thing then AMOLED will be right up your alley. Specifically Samsung's implementation. The phones have 4 display modes. Dynamic - probably the one you're describing as unnatural. Intentionally over saturated to "pop" in stores. Cinema - calibrated for movies. Basic - Most color accurate phone display tested by Displaymate. The one that may interest photographers is Photo mode - uses Adobe RGB broader color gamut instead of standard sRGB.
If Apple goes with OLED I'd wish for something similar, giving users a choice. I seriously doubt it though. Apple typically prefers simplicity for the masses over catering to specific niches.
Don't waste your time making post like this. People on this forum refuse to believe OLED has actually improved since 2011.
46 months ago
Micro LED (also known as Inorganic LED, or ILED) technology is definitely the future, with something like 3X power savings over traditional OLED/LCDs. The problem is in the manufacturing - ILEDs need to be built on small expensive wafers at high density, such as Sapphire or GaAs wafers, and each R/G/B color can have an entirely different recipe/process. Each LED needs to be mechanically picked from the source wafers and placed onto the display backplane - this is a huge manufacturing challenge to get 100% yield with millions of pixels with good throughput. Definitely expect to see this on watch displays first, but not for another 5 years, I'd expect.
46 months ago
OLED would be amazing if it weren't for the technology's sensitivity to screen burn in.
No kidding. All of the Samsung phones I've seen in stores have horrendous burn in.
46 months ago
AMOLED is kinda cool, I love how you can have always-on info screens, but I'm glad Apple hasn't gone with it yet. The colours look so unnatural on all the OLED phones I've seen. I love digital photography, so it's kind of a big deal for me and many others.
46 months ago
Apple is still striving to control both the hardware and software. A sure way to amazing products.
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