Apple to Make Custom Displays In-House, Starting With MicroLED for Apple Watch Ultra in 2024

[Analog Kid]

I can't say I'm clear on this. They design their own components now that they then source from outside manufacturers-- including chips, displays, batteries and camera sensors and lenses. I don't see a real difference here. It sounds a bit like someone at Bloomberg just learned how Apple works with its suppliers ("we want you to make exactly this, no you don't know how to do it better, do it how we're telling you to") and thinks it's a new model...

 

[anthony13]

I find it hard to believe that the resources (labor, parts, time, shipping) exist to introduce another player as large as apple into the display producing eco-system. But then again if any one can do it it’s apple.

 

[falkon-engine]

Apple is about to become vertically integrated. The only thing it won’t do is manufacture it’s own chips… unless it brings chip fabbing in house too… or buys tsmc.

It got rid of Intel and seemingly AMD, and will get rid of Qualcomm and Broadcom… and now possibly LG and Samsung? Who’s next ? The next major domino is tsmc.

 

[trusso]

"In-house" but yet still reliant on outside manufacturers. This changes nothing.

Exactly. How is it "in-house" when they're probably still going to use the same supply lines? Except instead of a Samsung or LG branded display (or whatever component) it'll be Apple branded. Same exact Foxconn line, though.

Seriously, who benefits from this?

 

[james2538]

Holy vertical integration!

What’s left that Apple won’t be making?

 

[japanime]

Steve Jobs would definitely have allowed this to happen.

According to the biography written by William Isaacson, Jobs was enamored with the manufacturing process, and wanted to have as much of it in-house as possible.

 

[james2538]

microLED is the future. Can't wait to replace the OLED with all it's flaws.

Have you used a recent OLED display? Most of the flaws have been rectified over the past 5 years. Burn-in isn't as much of an issue and the displays are getting brighter everyday. microLED is definitely the better technology in the long run but OLED is available today and the picture quality is light years better than anything in the LCD space.

I suppose I'm extremely behind the times on this one but... ELI5 the differences between microLED and OLED?

Both technologies are able to turn a single pixel on or off which results in an infinite contrast ratio. Black is truly black on a microLED or OLED display, with zero blooming issues.

The "O" in OLED stands for organic. That organic material has a limited lifespan which may not wear evenly, which results in issues like burn-in. microLED inorganic nature means that it doesn't have that problem. microLED displays will also be able to get brighter using less power than an OLED.

 

[sunny5]

Have you used a recent OLED display? Most of the flaws have been rectified over the past 5 years. Burn-in isn't as much of an issue and the displays are getting brighter everyday. microLED is definitely the better technology in the long run but OLED is available today and the picture quality is light years better than anything in the LCD space.

OLED still has many issues. This is why there aren't many OLED monitors especially for pro uses.

 

[t0rqx]

Just think of Apple's margins after removing all 3rd party suppliers from their lineups.

At that point the only thing standing between shareholders and higher returns are all those pesky, salaried employees.

Why do you think they designed Daisy (the iPhone disassemble robot)? It is the first stepping stone to eliminate those “pesky salaried employees”.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Exactly. How is it "in-house" when they're probably still going to use the same supply lines? Except instead of a Samsung or LG branded display (or whatever component) it'll be Apple branded. Same exact Foxconn line, though.

Seriously, who benefits from this?

Remember the outrage that some iPhone 6s’ A9 SoC were produced by TSMC and some were Samsung? Everyone wanted the better Samsung produced processor at first, until it was revealed that the TSMC A9 outperformed it.

Look where we are now with M1.

 

[james2538]

OLED still has many issues. This is why there aren't many OLED monitors especially for pro uses.

Have you looked recently? There's a number of OLED professional monitors available from Asus, LG, Sony, Viewsonic.

 

[sunny5]

nothing new. all current iPhone and Mac displays are designed by Apple and manufactured by an outside supplier.
OLED displays for iPhones are produced by the biggest competitors - LG and Samsung. This is only possible because the technology belongs to Apple.

False, OLED technology itself is designed by Samsung or LG. This is something that Apple can not create even if they manufacture by somewhere else cause South Korea has ability to create and design OLED more than 50% of the market share. Apple cant do that even if they have a manufacturer. They still rely on how Samsung and LG makes OLED displays.

 

[Kierkegaarden]

This article states that “The company initially planned to swap to microLED displays as early as 2020” — that is incorrect — I think we first started hearing about MicroLED around that time, and MiniLED wasn’t even in any Apple products at that point. How could they have planned on a move to this display tech that wasn’t even possible to produce at scale anywhere?

 

[sunny5]

Have you looked recently? There's a number of OLED professional monitors available from Asus, LG, Sony, Viewsonic.

So what? Do you know how many LED/LCD monitors are available compared to OLED monitors? Also, those links aren't even professional except for Sony which is meant for high end video production. And those Sony monitors are more like reference displays which is way more expensive than you can imagine.

My point doesn't change: OLED is still a minor technology for monitor market. So tell me how many OLED monitors are there? There are many reasons why OLED monitors are still not popular and widely used.

 

[james2538]

So what? Do you know how many LED/LCD monitors are available compared to OLED monitors? Also, those links aren't even professional except for Sony which is meant for high end video production. And those Sony monitors are more like reference displays which is way more expensive than you can imagine.

My point doesn't change: OLED is still a minor technology for monitor market. So tell me how many OLED monitors are there? There are many reasons why OLED monitors are still not popular and widely used.

The Asus and LG are quite literally from their professional line. It's in the name.

I'm curious since you seem to be so knowledgable on this subject. What are those reasons?

 

[svish]

microLED for Apple watch might happen by 2025. But it will take a very long time for Apple to shift to in house display.

 

[trusso]

Remember the outrage that some iPhone 6s’ A9 SoC were produced by TSMC and some were Samsung? Everyone wanted the better Samsung produced processor at first, until it was revealed that the TSMC A9 outperformed it.

Look where we are now with M1.

Yes, I remember.

Not quite sure how that relates to or addresses my comments, however.

 

[DailySlow]

Starting in 2024, Apple plans to use custom displays that it designs in-house for mobile devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch, reports Bloomberg. The shift to its own displays will allow Apple to rely less on display partners that include Samsung and LG.

Apple's transition will begin with the high-end Apple Watch Ultra at the end of 2024, with the device set to adopt microLED display technology. After introducing microLED displays in the Apple Watch, Apple will expand them to the iPhone and other devices. The displays will likely be manufactured by an outside supplier, but designed by Apple.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is making a "sweeping effort" to make more of its own components for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, so that it does not need to work with as many third-party component suppliers. Apple is now creating its own A-series and M-series chips for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and it is also working on modem chips and other wireless chips that will let it end its relationships with suppliers like Qualcomm and Broadcom.

Apple is already testing microLED displays for the Apple Watch, and the technology will bring brighter and more vibrant colors, along with improved viewing angles. Bloomberg says that the displays "make content appear like it's painted on top of the glass."

The company initially planned to swap to microLED displays as early as 2020, but there were technical challenges to overcome. Apple also planned to use microLED for larger displays, but for cost reasons, decided to focus first on the Apple Watch. Apple has spent several billion dollars developing display technology, and the transition is said to be one of Apple's most "critical projects."

Bloomberg warns that the 2024 target date could potentially slip to 2025, or if there continue to be production difficulties, a limited supply of the new devices could be offered to begin with. There will be an Apple Watch refresh in 2023, but with few new features.

Article Link: Apple to Make Custom Displays In-House, Starting With MicroLED for Apple Watch Ultra in 2024

Oh to cover a wall, a door, ceiling, a car body, with these. A whole new genre.

 

[DailySlow]

Have you used a recent OLED display? Most of the flaws have been rectified over the past 5 years. Burn-in isn't as much of an issue and the displays are getting brighter everyday. microLED is definitely the better technology in the long run but OLED is available today and the picture quality is light years better than anything in the LCD space.



Both technologies are able to turn a single pixel on or off which results in an infinite contrast ratio. Black is truly black on a microLED or OLED display, with zero blooming issues.

The "O" in OLED stands for organic. That organic material has a limited lifespan which may not wear evenly, which results in issues like burn-in. microLED inorganic nature means that it doesn't have that problem. microLED displays will also be able to get brighter using less power than an OLED.

What about waterproof? Or is that a function of the substrate and circuitry? I assume as waterproof as the newest Pro/Extreme models. Just a little larger, and you could…

 

[BostonQuad]

I can't say I'm clear on this. They design their own components now that they then source from outside manufacturers-- including chips, displays, batteries and camera sensors and lenses. I don't see a real difference here. It sounds a bit like someone at Bloomberg just learned how Apple works with it's suppliers ("we want you to make exactly this, no you don't know how to do it better, do it how we're telling you to") and thinks it's a new model...

I'm also confused on how this differs from the current Apple-designed/others-fabricated model. My guess is that the answer is connected to this being microLED, which as far as I know, no one is producing in bulk. Maybe Apple will forge closer ties to a manufacturing partner by sharing insight into how microLED can be made at scale, and/or financing a retool to microLED?

 

[sunny5]

I'm curious since you seem to be so knowledgable on this subject. What are those reasons?

1. Burn-in
This is a fundamental issue. There is no exception. If you gonna say OLED is fine now, there isn't any data to support that especially since OLED monitors are so rare. Both Mac and PC has fixed UI so it's much more easier to see burn in. If you really care about the color accuracy and uniformity, it's not really reliable to use. If not, how come many professional manufacturers aren't really using OLED as a major technology?

Having a brighter display will cause burn-in more seriously. Higher the brightness, faster burn in. They actually do burn whenever you use OLED pixels.

2. Power Consumption
This is a main reason why EU restricted TV's power consumption starting from 2023 especially toward OLED. You may think that they dont consume a lot of energy but they do. At max brightness and/or white area, they typically consume more power. If you want a pro grade OLED display, then high power consumption is inevitable. And then, high power consumption means more burn-in.

Btw, Sony OLED monitors you mentioned has higher power consumption than LCD display and the max brightness is only 100nit for FHD which costs more than $10,000.

3. Expensive
OLED is still expensive especially if the size is bigger. This is why making a bigger OLED is not really great and only few OLED monitors available is a great proof. Yes, TV might be a good evidence but when we also include about its quality such as color accuracy, brightness, uniformity, and more, then it's a problem. OLED monitors you mentioned are extremely expensive. If you want Eizo grade professional monitors, then OLED based will be much more expensive. Basically, it's very difficult to mass produce high quality OLED panels with bigger size.







Currently, there aren't any OLED monitors for laptop and desktop even in 2023. Yes there are few but that's it? How come many companies aren't using OLED if it has superior specs? It's been several years since OLED adapted and yet, LCD/LED based monitors are still dominating the market and this is the truth.

micro-LED will replace OLED in many ways and it wont be too far to see. Even Samsung admitted that if micro-LED becomes cheaper and easy to mass produce, then they will ditch all OLED technology and factory according to their interview. Even now, Micro-LED is getting smaller and smaller so that they can make display for desktop or laptop.

But the question is, can Apple make micro-LED? Samsung and LG has prototypes or products for a while with micro-LED while Apple has none so that's a big question.

 

[BostonQuad]

Watches and phones would be obvious microLED beneficiaries, but I imagine the advantages of microLED would be particularly important to VR. Since Apple seems to think the VR market will be huge (personally I'm unconvinced), I suppose that might be as big a driving factor for Apple as anything else.

 

[JapanApple]

This is a good move.

 

[Surf Monkey]

The problem with TV's is that the margins have become razor-thin to be competitive.

An Apple TV would look and function amazingly, but also be comparatively expensive.

Just like all Apple products then.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Just like all Apple products then.

Yup, and they would receive the standard criticism that they normally do for offering a beautifully-built product that's a notable factor of the price of competitors.