Apple is planning its own displays for its mobile devices – that’s behind the great technology

According to insiders, Apple wants to build its own screens into its mobile devices for the first time from 2024. The company wants to become more independent from suppliers such as Samsung and LG.

That reports the tech journalist Mark Guerman by Bloomberg news agency Wednesday evening, citing people familiar with the matter.

The Apple expert, who has insider contacts, first reported in 2018 on the plans of the American technology group to design its own displays.

Apple has invested several billion dollars in the effort to date, and internally, the display development is considered one of the company’s most important projects.

What devices are you talking about?

The most expensive versions of the Apple Watch should launch at the end of next year. are planned Displays with micro-LED technology. They should replace the previous OLED screens. Apple is also considering installing proprietary displays in other devices such as the iPhone.

The move would fit in with the group’s strategy to develop more components in-house and thus have more influence on the design and technical possibilities. The manufacturer has already replaced the Intel chips in its Mac computers with its own processor developments – called “Apple Silicon”. Apple is planning something similar for important radio components in the iPhones.

What does micro LED bring?

Compared to current Apple Watches, the next-generation displays are designed to “offer brighter, more vibrant colors and are easier to see from a certain angle,” according to the Bloomberg report. The displays made the contents “look like it was painted on the glass,” insiders told Gurman, but asked not to be identified because the project is still classified.

Other key benefits over the OLED technology installed since the iPhone 12 include:

When will the new Apple screens come?

Noted display analyst Ross Young claims that Apple will bring micro-LED technology to the Apple Watch in spring 2025.

And the iPhone? According to Gurman, it will be years before Apple converts its flagship to micro-LED.

On the other hand, the Californians plan to bring OLED technology to the iPad in 2024 with a new Pro model.

However, it may also take a little longer to go to market: Apple’s plan for 2024 may be delayed to 2025.

Which companies will be affected by Apple’s plans?

So far, Apple has purchased its displays from multiple vendors. In addition to Samsung and LG, these are also Japan Display, Sharp and BOE Technology Group.

Apple accounts for 36 percent of LG Display sales. Samsung, which competes with Apple in addition to its role as a supplier in the smartphone market, generates almost 7 percent of its turnover with the iPhone maker.

In recent months, industry experts have named AMS Osram as a potential supplier in view of the micro-LED displays Apple is planning.

The high-tech machine manufacturer Aixtron is also benefiting from the trend towards micro-LEDs, which are considered a cheaper alternative to OLED screens. According to industry experts, AMS-Osram is likely to become a major customer of Aixtron.

While the new displays were designed by Apple engineers and the company also developed the (advanced) manufacturing process, Gurman predicts they will likely rely on a third-party supplier for mass production.

Apple operates a 62,000 square foot facility in Santa Clara, California – approximately 15 minutes from its headquarters (“Apple Park”) in Cupertino. There it carries out the test production of the displays. There is a similar research and development campus in Taiwan.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the Bloomberg report on custom display plans.

Sources

(dsc/sda/awp/dpa)