It was reported earlier this month that Apple was close to striking a deal where it would make a large upfront investment in LG’s OLED production lines in return for output being exclusively devoted to iPhone screens.
A fresh report today supports this, and claims to have more detailed information on the as-yet-unannounced arrangement …
Samsung has forecast that its Q2 profits will easily set an all-time record for the company. While sales of its flagship S8 smartphone will play some role, the bulk of these profits are expected to come from chip and display panels – with Apple its largest single customer …
Apple’s decision to use an OLED screen on the iPhone 8 will significantly accelerate adoption by other smartphone manufacturers, says a Trendforce report. The WitsView division of the company suggest that adoption will hit 50% by 2020.
The prediction highlights ‘the Apple effect’ when it comes to new technology …
Samsung may be the exclusive supplier of OLED screens for the iPhone 8, but it seems that Apple is taking significant steps to diversify its supply chain.
Not only is the company reportedly close to striking a deal with LG, but Apple is said to be making a large up-front investment in the company’s OLED production lines in return for output being exclusively devoted to iPhone screens …
Samsung is said to be building the world’s largest OLED production plant as it seeks to meet future demand for displays for the iPhone 8 and beyond. The report comes after the company reportedly shared its plans with manufacturers of production equipment needed for the plant.
However, while Samsung is believed to be the sole supplier of displays for the iPhone 8, there is no guarantee that it will retain this position for subsequent OLED models …
A report out of Korea claims that Samsung will not only be manufacturing the OLED screens for the iPhone 8, but also playing a key role in the supply chain management for related components.
Samsung Display, the display-making unit of Samsung Electronics, is the only panel maker globally that mass-produces OLED panels for smartphones. Its market share stands at a whopping 95 percent currently. Because Apple is still less experienced in OLED, the display maker is said to be playing a key role in the overall supply chain management that consists of its own key parts suppliers …
All reports point to Apple using an OLED display in just one of its iPhone models this year, while two other models stick to IPS LCD screens. A supply-chain report out of Korea suggests that Apple is aiming to adopt OLED across all models by 2019.
Foxconn appears to be taking full advantage of its acquisition of Sharp as the display maker is reported to be setting up an OLED production line at an iPhone assembly factory. All of the OLED production there is said to be destined for upcoming iPhone models, according to a Nikkei report cited by Digitimes.
Sharp plans to invest JPY100 billion (US$864 million) to set up an OLED production line at Foxconn Electronics’ factory in Zhengzhou City, northern China.
However, the facility won’t be ready for this year’s iPhones, as trial production is not expected to begin until 2018 or 2019 – though the company may be making OLED units for the iPhone 8 elsewhere …
One of Apple’s iPhone display suppliers has been rescued by a $636M bailout from the government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, reports the WSJ. Japan Display had seen its display panel orders fall significantly in the face of keen price competition and a move towards OLED, a technology it does not currently produce.
The rescue could well be important for Apple …
Following a report in October claiming Samsung and LG were both attempting to win orders for OLED displays to be used in future iPhones, a new report today says Apple has partnered with LG Display for a foldable OLED panel of sorts.
According to the report from etnews, LG Display is partnering with Apple, Google, and Microsoft on what it describes as ‘out-foldable’ OLED displays.
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A report in the WSJ backs an earlier suggestion that Apple may be planning a hi-res curved-screen iPhone next year, possibly as a new top tier handset known as an iPhone Pro. The company is said to have gotten as far as prototyping the new device.
We’ve been hearing rumors for some time now of a third iPhone tier next year. The majority of these reports suggest that the top-tier model will be distinguished by an OLED screen while the two other models remain for now on IPS LCD – but we have heard one previous credible report of a curved-screen model …
It had been thought that Apple would only have two suppliers to choose from when it came to its rumored switch to OLED displays for at least some iPhones next year: Samsung and LG. A third contender emerged in June, when it was reported that Sharp’s OLED panel business would be up-and-running by next year, and it now seems possible that Japan Display will also be in the running.
A report from Korea’s ETNews says that the OLED Touch Bar panel in the new MacBook Pro was made by Samsung, and that Apple is currently testing OLED panels suitable for use in MacBooks.
According to an industry [source], Apple installed Samsung Display’s OLED panel for touch screen bar for its new MacBook Pro. This panel is rigid-type OLED that is produced from Samsung Display’s A2 Line […]
“Apple is currently looking into ways of using OLED panels for MacBooks and testing their performance.” said a different representative.
It’s of course a no-brainer that Apple would be looking at a switch to OLED for future MacBook displays given the benefits these offer …
One of the many iPhone 8 concepts, this one from Concept iPhone
BusinessKorea reports that Samsung and LG are engaged in a ‘do or die’ fight to win orders from Apple for OLED displays for future iPhones. The companies are said to be investing a combined record sum of around $11.6B this year alone in the type of flexible displays likely to be used in next year’s iPhones.
While Apple is widely expected to switch from LCD to OLED displays for future iPhones from either 2017 or 2018, one company is suggesting that the move made be a purely temporary one.
Digitimes quotes Innolux chairman and CEO Wang Jyh-chau arguing that OLED is not suitable as a permanent replacement for LCD. While the company – an LCD manufacturer – might be expected to make this case, Innolux is not suggesting that Apple will return to LCD, rather than it will adopt a third display technology: microLED (mLED) …
iPhone concept from ConceptsiPhone
With Apple expected to switch to OLED screens for future iPhones, it appears that it may not need to rely completely on the two major manufacturers for long. While Samsung and LG currently manufacture most of the world’s OLED screens between them, Nikkei reports that Sharp expects to be doing the same ‘before 2018’ …
What if Apple brought the OLED display function key row that is rumored for upcoming MacBooks to its Apple keyboard too? Completely disregarding what it might require technically to integrate and drive such a display in the keyboard, this concept from Curved imagines bringing that feature to iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini and other Mac users via a new version of Apple’s wireless keyboard.
In this week’s top stories: WWDC coverage kicked into full gear ahead of Apple’s event on Monday, we discussed USB-C and upcoming MacBook Pros, and Apple announced welcomed subscription and revenue changes for the App Store.
Apple’s plan to become an energy company by selling off its excess renewable electricity was revealed this week, and we also showed you how to drive a 4K display at 60 Hz with the new 2016 MacBook in this week’s top video.
A KGI analyst report from two weeks ago broke the news that a new Apple MacBook, due later in the year, would debut a new OLED touch screen technology above the keyboard that will replace the function row keys. A leaked shell of a MacBook days later seemed to at least confirm the report along with showing 2 USB-C ports on the sides and a huge touchpad. The MacBook OLED bar rumor has been a controversial one for us and many of you generating lots of opinions.
However, one of our readers Cameron did a mockup that changed all of that for me and many others. Taking a look at the possibilities with Siri, many of our readers came up with excellent ideas for apps that would use the bar. 3D designer Martin Hajek has done a few better with some amazing renders that take the OLED display from gimmick to “TAKE MY MONEY.”
In an opinion piece a couple of weeks ago, I described the way I hope the rumored touch-panel will be used: dynamic content available to app developers to create one-touch shortcuts. Effectively you’d get similar benefits to a physical keyboard skin but for every app. Check out that piece first if you haven’t already read it so I don’t need to repeat the same points here.
Of course, there are potential downsides to that too. At present, I’m used to being able to adjust the volume or play/pause music, for example, just by pressing a key. My fingers know where those keys are, so it’s very easy to do. If the standard functions were overwritten by apps, it would become a fiddlier process to do things we currently take for granted.
So here are a few thoughts about how Apple might give us the best of both worlds – and the somewhat provocative view that the touch-panel might still be a good thing even if it turns out to be nothing more than a gimmick …
In this week’s top stories: iPhone 7 leaks, more on the rumored upcoming MacBook Pros with OLED touch bar, what’s in store for WWDC 2016, and much more.
Apple also launched its Back to School promo for 2016, and designer brand Coach started preparing for a launch of its Apple Watch bands next week. Head below for all of the handy links to these and our other top shared Apple stories this week.
The top Apple stories this week include reports of new MacBook models on the way, the latest rumored specs and features for iPhone 7, our roundup of features in the cards for iOS 10, and reports that Apple is developing dedicated hardware and a new SDK for Siri. As usual, below we’ve collected all of the handy links to these and our other top stories this week.
