Japan Display is planning to raise $517 million through third-party share allocations and asset sales so it will have the funds to supply LCD screens for new iPhones, reports Nikkei.

Last year, Japan Display lost business because of Apple's shift to OLED, so the company sought partnerships to begin producing OLED displays, but with Apple planning to continue to use LCDs for some devices, Japan Display is in need of working capital to purchase inventory and to begin production on the LCDs Apple now needs.

iphone x vs iphone 8 and 8 plus
Rumors have suggested Apple is planning on introducing two OLED iPhones (5.8 and 6.5 inches) and one 6.1-inch LCD iPhone next year, with the LCD device to be positioned as a low-cost option alongside the two more expensive OLED devices.

With Japan Display again planning to invest in LCDs, it could be in trouble in the future should Apple opt to abandon LCD technology for OLED technology entirely, says Nikkei.

Expecting the U.S. tech company to keep shifting toward OLEDs, the supplier began exploring capital partnerships to obtain the massive funds necessary to invest in producing the advanced tech.

However, the iPhone X has proven a flop, and Apple appears to be sticking with LCDs for some models due out this fall, leaving Japan Display in need of working capital to secure inventory and production capacity to supply those screens.

Previous rumors have suggested Apple is interested in Japan Display's Full Active LCDs, which are said to match or exceed some of the advantages of OLED at a lower cost.

Full Active panels have a smaller bezel around the screen than traditional LCDs and they have enough flex that they can be used in curved or angled designs.

All three of Apple's rumored 2018 iPhones are expected to adopt full-screen designs with minimal bezels, much like the iPhone X. The Home button will be eliminated in each, with Apple adopting Face ID across its 2018 iPhone lineup.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

yanksfan114 Avatar
78 months ago
"However, the iPhone X has proven a flop"

Lol what?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
78 months ago
The iPhone X officially flopped? By what measure? Its notchy design spawned an entire generation of Android clones, much to my dismay as someone who also appreciates Android hardware for its differences from iPhones.

I had an X and I don’t think Apple got the best OLED displays Samsung is capable of making. I don’t know if it was Apple’s specifications at fault or something Samsung did, but the pwm flicker did my eyes in. And I saw some ugly variances in display color temperature and quality among different X’s. Owning the refined S9+, I know OLED quality doesn’t have to be that varied anymore. Every S9+ I’ve seen so far has been uniformly excellent and without the weird flaws I noticed when the S8’s were first released. Nor does OLED have to cause migraines and eye strain.

I don’t plan to get one, but I do hope the next generation of IPhones get some spectacular displays that truly show off the best that their respective technologies are capable of.

And even though I personally didn’t get along with it, nor the cost, I find it hard to believe the X flopped. I think people are just holding onto their phones longer. A lot of people I talked to don’t want to give up their 6 and 6s models because it means giving up the headphone jack. Those are excellent phones and with new batteries in them, many owners I chatted with seem quite happy.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
78 months ago
All I read was the home button will be iliminated, it’s just my opinion and it’s a strange one to have I guess but if I can’t get an iPhone with a home button then my iPhone 8 better last me a while. I love the home button and Touch ID
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chfilm Avatar
78 months ago
It’s sad that the iPhone X doesn’t receive the appreciation by buyers that it deserves. It’s a truly amazing iPhone!
But then again I’m glad that it flopped, hopefully forcing Apple to bring that ridiculous price down again!!!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
78 months ago


* Apple had to slow down production of the X after sales didn't meet expectations. They scaled back their orders for OLED displays from Samsung after previously making Samsung expand their OLED production capabilities.

We’ve read the rumors. But they’re completely at odds with the facts.

On November 2, 2017, Apple provided guidance for FY18Q1 (Oct-Dec 2017) of between $84-87 billion. They announced this past February that they beat that estimate, posting record sales of $88.3 billion.

That doesn’t sound like a company that is incapable of estimating their demand and needs to scale back orders. That’s a company that nailed their sales projections and knows exactly how many displays they need.

There’s always a production cut in the second quarter, since sales are much, much higher in the Oct-Dec quarter vs the Jan-Mar quarter. That’s true every year, and is well known. Completely expected; iPhone sales are highly seasonal. In FY2017 for example, Apple’s FY1Q iPhone revenue dropped from $54 billion to $33 billion in FY2Q.

So what’s important is the magnitude of the production cuts. It could very well be that they’re lower than last year, i.e. X sales might actually be holding up better than did iPhone 7 sales.

In February, Apple guided for $60-62 billion for their Q2 (Jan-Mar) revenue. This is 13-17% higher than the year ago quarter of $53 billion, which in no way supports the Nikkei narrative of an iPhone X “flop”. (The record $88.3 billion Q1 revenue was 13% higher than the same quarter revenue last year, $78.3 billion.)

Tl;dr: No unanticipated production cuts, both last quarter’s 13% revenue increase and this quarter’s projected 13-17% revenue increase clearly indicate Apple is expert at predicting their demand. And disproves any “flop” narrative.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mtneer Avatar
78 months ago
This seems so counterintuitive. If OLED is going to be the technology of the future, why on earth is Japan Display investing $500+ million in previous generation LCD technology lines? If they had been Apple's LCD supplier in the past, they ought to have the technology and capacity to keep LCD production going. In fact I would have expected them to invest this money in OLED research.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....