The awesome thing about OLED Panels is that it makes both of these concepts possible:
yes, apple goes from impossibly reflective screens to impossibly see through screens
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15" OLED Panel from LG Headed for Apple Notebook This Summer?
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yes, apple goes from impossibly reflective screens to impossibly see through screens
Samsung's Version
Apple is not the only one "rumored" to have an OLED screen coming soon to its notebooks. Samsung offered a peak at the "Samsung SDI OLED Laptop" for release in 09. So OLED screens are not far fetched, and I hope that they become available as a $500 screen upgrade.
http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/05/samsungsdis_121inch_oled_lapto.php
http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20080421PD206.html
http://www.samsungsdi.com/contents/en/tech/disClass_03_01.html
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/10/29/samsung_flapping_oled/
Apple is not the only one "rumored" to have an OLED screen coming soon to its notebooks. Samsung offered a peak at the "Samsung SDI OLED Laptop" for release in 09. So OLED screens are not far fetched, and I hope that they become available as a $500 screen upgrade.
http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/05/samsungsdis_121inch_oled_lapto.php
http://www.digitimes.com/displays/a20080421PD206.html
http://www.samsungsdi.com/contents/en/tech/disClass_03_01.html
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/10/29/samsung_flapping_oled/
The Mac Book Air?
apple my be planing to upgrade their Airs, they already said that they were going to add a carbon fiber bottom for weight purposes, they might add an OLED screen as well. That would improve the battery life, weight, and maybe thickness. Or apple will just upgrade the mac book.
apple my be planing to upgrade their Airs, they already said that they were going to add a carbon fiber bottom for weight purposes, they might add an OLED screen as well. That would improve the battery life, weight, and maybe thickness. Or apple will just upgrade the mac book.
America hasn't had an issue inventing, it's been the production that's the rub. Designed in USA, manufactured in China....
It would be nice to see one of these in the next Air revision.
greater product line differentiation
Apple is shifting away from "computers" and moving toward "devices", so I think greater differentiation of their product lines will continue. We already have the wMB/uMB/uMBP/Air and about 17 different kinds of iPods. I wouldn't be surprised to see a new high-end component added to the MB spectrum. Just like the rumored "4 different iphones" thing. Not saying it'll happen. But I wouldn't be surprised.
The timing of OLED makes a lot of sense for Apple right now. LG is a great partner, components are cheap (straight from their mouths), and their cash position is incredibly strong. They'll take those savings and try to upgrade the hardware and keep the prices roughly the same. Given previous BTO options we've seen, I imagine Apple would try to do it for $500 or less.
I would LOVE to see a true 15" mobile workhorse, and I would gladly pay $4k. A BTO OLED MBP could be seeded out to the suckers like me to test the waters before making it standard, and the longevity issue would be moot because suckers like me buy a new workstation at least every 3 years.
I wonder what kind of battery life improvement we'd see with the non-removable battery, SSD, and OLED? 8 hours in the 15"? Has there been any further discussion about the non-removable battery in the 15" (Also, agreed with the masses on the necessity of anti-glare ... ugh)
Just for fun, here's what I'd love to see in a tablet:
8-10 inches, ipod touch/OSX hybrid OS, all screen with multiple keyboard layouts, video chat capable, heavily subsidized by verizon/att/whoever. maybe a $900 device that retails for $500 with a contract. If nothing else, they'd wipe Kindles off the face of the earth (and those fall in the same price range, roughly). We've heard some pretty definitive comments from Apple stating that they ARE working on a midsize device. As we saw with the ipods, Apple like to create a new market, then corner it. I think the iphone has already catapulted them in that direction with mobile touch, web-savvy devices, but they won't rest on their laurels. The size would make it gaming-, video-conferencing-, and graphic-design-viable.
Apple *did* apply for a scifi-esque patent a few years ago where an LCD/LED panel acts as a video capable camera capturing whatever is in front of it. I highly doubt its viability in 2009, but it's coming at some point. Add to that the carbon nano-fiber casing patent, and we're talking about some seriously space-age toys.
10" is pushing the limits of a fashion accessory, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. I mean, many people are still willing to keep those AWFUL stock ipod earbuds, just so that everyone knows it's a FURREAL ipod they're listening to.
As far as a mid-sized OLED device goes, not sure if we'd see that in the first iteration of the fabled iPad/tablet/macbook touch/whatever, but it would certainly make the fanboys squeal.
In the meantime, here's hoping we see anti-glare on the 15" soon.
Apple is shifting away from "computers" and moving toward "devices", so I think greater differentiation of their product lines will continue. We already have the wMB/uMB/uMBP/Air and about 17 different kinds of iPods. I wouldn't be surprised to see a new high-end component added to the MB spectrum. Just like the rumored "4 different iphones" thing. Not saying it'll happen. But I wouldn't be surprised.
The timing of OLED makes a lot of sense for Apple right now. LG is a great partner, components are cheap (straight from their mouths), and their cash position is incredibly strong. They'll take those savings and try to upgrade the hardware and keep the prices roughly the same. Given previous BTO options we've seen, I imagine Apple would try to do it for $500 or less.
I would LOVE to see a true 15" mobile workhorse, and I would gladly pay $4k. A BTO OLED MBP could be seeded out to the suckers like me to test the waters before making it standard, and the longevity issue would be moot because suckers like me buy a new workstation at least every 3 years.
I wonder what kind of battery life improvement we'd see with the non-removable battery, SSD, and OLED? 8 hours in the 15"? Has there been any further discussion about the non-removable battery in the 15" (Also, agreed with the masses on the necessity of anti-glare ... ugh)
Just for fun, here's what I'd love to see in a tablet:
8-10 inches, ipod touch/OSX hybrid OS, all screen with multiple keyboard layouts, video chat capable, heavily subsidized by verizon/att/whoever. maybe a $900 device that retails for $500 with a contract. If nothing else, they'd wipe Kindles off the face of the earth (and those fall in the same price range, roughly). We've heard some pretty definitive comments from Apple stating that they ARE working on a midsize device. As we saw with the ipods, Apple like to create a new market, then corner it. I think the iphone has already catapulted them in that direction with mobile touch, web-savvy devices, but they won't rest on their laurels. The size would make it gaming-, video-conferencing-, and graphic-design-viable.
Apple *did* apply for a scifi-esque patent a few years ago where an LCD/LED panel acts as a video capable camera capturing whatever is in front of it. I highly doubt its viability in 2009, but it's coming at some point. Add to that the carbon nano-fiber casing patent, and we're talking about some seriously space-age toys.
10" is pushing the limits of a fashion accessory, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. I mean, many people are still willing to keep those AWFUL stock ipod earbuds, just so that everyone knows it's a FURREAL ipod they're listening to.
As far as a mid-sized OLED device goes, not sure if we'd see that in the first iteration of the fabled iPad/tablet/macbook touch/whatever, but it would certainly make the fanboys squeal.
In the meantime, here's hoping we see anti-glare on the 15" soon.
You'll see screen flicker in many videos of computer screens if the framerate of the video doesn't sync up perfectly with the refresh rate of the display in the video.
That's a much more reasonable assumption. I really can't see OLED becoming mainstream in large displays. OLED was already being worked on way back in 2002 and it's taken them this long to produce large scale displays! It may make a short term appearance, but I really think quantum dots will be the real next gen large scale display tech. They are easy to manufacture, you can do it in a lab with standard equipment, and they have already started printing them on surfaces. And of course, they have none of the drawbacks that OLED does, last longer, and have even better color reproduction.
How expensive would one of these be????
Imagine a 256 GB SSD macbook Air with OLED screen for the affordable price of $3500.
OLED is amazing though. Saw an OLED tv demo bestbuy, and the screen is abolutely AMAZING, both in performance and form factor.
Imagine a 256 GB SSD macbook Air with OLED screen for the affordable price of $3500.
OLED is amazing though. Saw an OLED tv demo bestbuy, and the screen is abolutely AMAZING, both in performance and form factor.
How expensive would one of these be????
Imagine a 256 GB SSD macbook Air with OLED screen for the affordable price of $3500.
OLED is amazing though. Saw an OLED tv demo bestbuy, and the screen is abolutely AMAZING, both in performance and form factor.
damn wish i could see one, but alas australia wont see them until 2030 thats how far we are behind! i think the MBA would cost a BIT more then $3500 with OLED
Jobs == OLED?
So what are the odds, that there is a MacBook Touch with an OLED display?
There have been rumors in recent days that Jobs would not cameo at WWDC, even though reportedly quite healthy. Simply because they want him to have his own 'event' end of June or beginning of July.
But of course Jobs would need a splashy product to introduce.
This strangely coincides with this rumor originating in April.
Now that iPhone 3G is out the door, Snow Leopard introduced and iPhone 3.0, we're ready for 'The Next Big Thing'!
- Could this be a Mac Touch with 15" OLED display?
- The fabled Mac Tablet (or Mac Slate) with 15" OLED display?
(Remember Jobs has a personal patent in regards to a tablet device! So there is a link.)
- Could this be a high end MacBook Air with 15" OLED display?
I think it's interesting to note that the high-end MacBook Air model just dropped $700 in price, making room for a new high-end model. Also it did not get a RAM increase either.
MacBook Air with 4GB RAM and 15" OLED display for $2,999 anyone?
What are the odds that Jobs' return and the introduction of an Apple OLED product go hand in hand?
So what are the odds, that there is a MacBook Touch with an OLED display?
There have been rumors in recent days that Jobs would not cameo at WWDC, even though reportedly quite healthy. Simply because they want him to have his own 'event' end of June or beginning of July.
But of course Jobs would need a splashy product to introduce.
This strangely coincides with this rumor originating in April.
Now that iPhone 3G
- Could this be a Mac Touch with 15" OLED display?
- The fabled Mac Tablet (or Mac Slate) with 15" OLED display?
(Remember Jobs has a personal patent in regards to a tablet device! So there is a link.)
- Could this be a high end MacBook Air
I think it's interesting to note that the high-end MacBook Air model just dropped $700 in price, making room for a new high-end model. Also it did not get a RAM increase either.
MacBook Air
What are the odds that Jobs' return and the introduction of an Apple OLED product go hand in hand?
I'd like to think that this is true. It would make sense for SJ to return not at WWDC but with his own event and a special product to announce. But is this the product? And what are the the implications for screen life if there's no protective glass (essential for the flexible model mock ups)?
If Jobs is announcing something at his return, they pretty much exhausted everything at WWDC. The thing he will be "announcing" will def. have to be something new, so it isn't impossible. Maybe external blu-ray, tablet, new cinema displays, imacs/pros/minis, major changes w/ itunes?
Who knows?
Agreed, re "something new".
But I have to imagine the tablet will be a 2010/2011 thing, and if the "OLED coming in june" thing is true, it seems like it'd HAVE to just be BTO for the high end MBP. but i admit that that might not be splashy enough for Jobs.
i know it's nearly pointless, but even though I have been ready to buy a new laptop for oh ... 2 years and new ones just came out, I want to keep waiting. For OLED, for nehalem, for new SSDs, for ... whatever else.
Come on, people - help me validate my neurosis pls.
That, or just tell me to pull the trigger on an expensive new toy.Welcome in my boat!
Man, I've been waiting for a decent high-end Apple laptop since - forever.
What I want: 15" or 16" notebook (the 17" is a bit too large for me) with 1920x1200 screen resolution (BTO is fine), 1GB VRAM with a mobile Quadro GPU, and BluRay drive (to view and author BluRay content without needing an external drive).
Unfortunately there are dozen of Windows mobile workstations out there with exactly these specs. But Apple? Nope.
Unfortunately for me and to make maters worse Apple is moving into the exact opposite direction.
The recent 13" MBP is a fine example. Apple has superb consumer machines with amazing specs. At the expense of the high-end users.
So waiting for what?
OLED?
I would be very surprised the new OLED display will have a high resolution, 1280 x 768 would probably be the maximum initially. Even if it is 15".
Initially it will not reach nor surpass 1440 x 900.
So for the 15" MBP an OLED display would be a step back. Which is why I suspected it might be for the MacBook Air.
But is is probably for the Tablet/eBook reader where it makes more sense. An eBook reader with an OLED switched to using light gray text on black background would hardly consume any power.
The original source for this OLED rumor even says now 'early in 2010' for that Apple OLED notebook.
Quad-Core CPU?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I can tell the next iteration of mobile CPUs are not really expected before January/February 2010. And these are very likely only dual core with 2 threads each, i.e. quad-thread not quad-core.
That's better than what we have now, but not a whole lot better.
From what I understand true quad-core mobile CPUs with a total of 8 threads are not expected before Q3 or Q4 2010.
Do we want to wait another 1 1/2 years?
In the meantime I can see that buying a high-end 17" MBP is a bit of a waste, especially if you intend to get 4-5 years of usage out if it.
It might almost be better to go for a 13" MBP plus a 30" Apple Cinema Display and in a year ditch the MBP and get an octo-thread one, once they're out.
But alas that's not an option either, due to that dreaded miniDisplayPort disaster. While the 30" ACD resolution will last you 4-5 years nicely, it doesn't support HDCP (so won't ever play BluRay DVDs) and from what I understand most users still have issues with the miniDisplayPort to DualLink DVI converter.
Until Apple releases a 30" ACD with HDCP and miniDisplayPort you're getting a half-baked solution that won't last you 4-5 years.
But will that monitor update ever happen? Seeing that the next Nvidia Quadro GPU for MacPros doesn't even have a miniDisplayPort (only DVI) I don't see Apple updating the 30" ADC in a long time.
Either way - I feel stuck.
And that's because Apple really is a consumer product company. More and more.
A 13" MBP with 24" LED ACD works perfectly fine. Only that neither is truly a professional solution which can last you 4-5 years...
The only logical answer is to jump ship.
Buy a proper Windows mobile workstation. Apple will never go there again. At least not this decade.
I recently found a video of a foldable OLED by Samsung. I'm impressed with how invisible the seam is when the display is flat. I'm not sure, but I think this may just be manufactured by putting two displays next to each other vs. one flexible display. Still, it's cool to see.
yes, apple goes from impossibly reflective screens to impossibly see through screens
Also by Samsung, a transparent OLED display. The display is small, but small devices are where this will really be useful. Think: a pair of glasses with these as lenses and an embedded magnetometer and a Bluetooth chip that connects as third-party hardware to your iPhone. Launch your augmented reality app and get ready to see the world as the Cyberdyne Systems Corporation wants you to see it.
Using OLED on MacBooks, iPhone or any mobile computer would be pretty backwards. Then you won't be able to use them outside. Unless they crank up the voltage to be brighter than the sun that shines on them. OLEDs get their color from shining that color themselves, they do not filter the right color when exposed to sunlight.
Current iPhone screen is transflective, it has mirror elements behind each pixel. This will bounce back sunlight just as if it was light from the backlight (though the color is different).
See comments from Mary Lou Jepsen (Pixel Qi) about OLED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm8WoItVRn0#t=12m57s
Current iPhone screen is transflective, it has mirror elements behind each pixel. This will bounce back sunlight just as if it was light from the backlight (though the color is different).
See comments from Mary Lou Jepsen (Pixel Qi) about OLED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm8WoItVRn0#t=12m57s
I've seen plenty of OLED displays outdoors and they were very usable in general lighting conditions. That woman is talking about having direct sunlight on your screen, in which case even current transflective displays perform poorly relative to ideal conditions.
i welcome any new technology but would appreciate less frequent updates to their products lines - makes previous owners cringe with such frequent specs bump at same cost...
Clarksfield (4-core, 8-thread) is coming in Q3/Q4 2009, but I don't think we'll see it in the iMacs or the MacBook Pros.