Apple Seeking Additional Suppliers to Meet Mini-LED Display Demand for iPad Pro and Upcoming MacBook Pro

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Apple is continuing to struggle to meet demand for mini-LED displays in its recently launched 12.9-inch iPad Pro and displays in upcoming MacBook Pros, prompting the company to begin looking for extra suppliers in an attempt to ease the load.

Mini LED MacBook Pro Feature
According to a paywalled preview of a DigiTimes report slated to be published tomorrow, Apple is looking for suppliers beyond Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology, or TSMT, to assist in mounting electrical components onto circuit boards for the mini-LED display in the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and upcoming MacBook Pros.

DigiTimes had previously reported that TSMT would remain the sole supplier of SMT (surface mounting technology) for the ‌iPad Pro‌ and the upcoming MacBook Pro. Since that report, however, Apple has seemed to change its outlook on the situation, potentially realizing that demand for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and expected demand for the upcoming MacBook Pro may exceed the capabilities of a single supplier.

Following its launch, Apple's M1-powered 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ was rather limited in stock, with shipping times at the time of launch in April reaching mid and late July. Due to continued disruptions thanks to the global health crisis and global chip shortage, a similar scenario may be in practice with upcoming MacBook Pros.

Apple's M1-powered 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ was the first Apple product to feature the company's Liquid Retina XDR display with mini-LED, rather than traditional LCD or OLED. Apple is expected to bring this same technology to redesigned MacBook Pros expected to launch later this year.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, MacBook Pro 13", MacBook Pro 16"
Tags: Mini-LED Guide, digitimes
Buyer's Guide: 12.9" iPad Pro (Buy Now), 13" MacBook Pro (Don't Buy), 16" MacBook Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forums: iPad, MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

fourthtunz Avatar
fourthtunz
4 weeks ago
Mini-LED a solution for a non problem.
How many of you would have bought the M2 MacBook Pro in the old shell with no updates?
I would have.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
svish
4 weeks ago
Wish Macbook Pro is announced soon. Also would like to see 11" mini LED iPad Pro in the future.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Serban55 Avatar
Serban55
4 weeks ago

Do you even know the difference between Mini-LED and MicroLED? They are totally different technology.
i think he wanted to say that its very hard to have mini-led with control for individual pixels..since mini-led still at the core is lcd tech and not oled...micro-led can do that...but we are 10 years away
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R.T.J. Avatar
R.T.J.
4 weeks ago
They should, I am ready to get a new MBP. My 2014 is having some problems. I work in event production doing visuals for big concerts and I would need that MBP to handle up to 6 video streams in real-time. Finally, I can replace my tower too.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving Avatar
TheYayAreaLiving
4 weeks ago

I'm starting to wonder if we'll learn that unicorns are real before we ever see this new M1x MacBook Pro.
Or if Santa is real at this point. ?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeLootje Avatar
LeLootje
4 weeks ago

Mini-LED a solution for a non problem.

I don't know: I use my iPad Pro a lot for work applications that show the user interface in the same place all the time. Maybe they use the mini-LED for the iPad Pro displays to prevent burn-in issues with this kind of use (the same elements on the screen during several hours a day), and OLED for the 'consumption' of content like movies on the iPad Air, where there are no interface elements on the screen for a long time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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