Apple Watch Ultra With MicroLED Display Seemingly 'Canceled' For Now

[klasma]

With microLED, making small displays is more difficult than large because of the density of the LEDs and heat. Apple should have started with a larger display like a 32-inch monitor, followed by MacBook, then iPad, and finally Watch.

The issue is yield. If just one pixel doesn’t work in a panel, you have to throw away the whole panel. That’s why Apple started with the device having the least pixels, planning to work their way up from there. The iPhone has almost 20 times as many pixels as the Watch, meaning that the rate of defective panels would increase accordingly. The iPads and MacBooks even more. This is also why the current microLED TVs are composed of an array of many smaller tiles (each of which, incidentally, roughly matches the Watch resolution). A 4K or 5K monitor would have been the last to move to microLED.

 

[CWallace]

so 10 years in the making with nothing ready for production...

Seriously though there seems to be some big changes happening internally at Apple. Somethings off.

at this point it seems microLED may not be a feasible technology

MicroLED still has significant hurdles in terms of manufacturing yields at scale and the price per unit to overcome. It is a technology worth pursuing for the benefits it will bring over LED and OLED, but like fusion power, it's always seems to be "a couple of years away".

 

[CrysisDeu]

Thank you Apple for canceling everything new and exciting

 

[tomtad]

Thank you Apple for canceling everything new and exciting

Bet you can’t wait for the next iMac with M4 chip coming out in 3 years with a lightning Magic Mouse

 

[jz0309]

MicroLED still has significant hurdles in terms of manufacturing yields at scale and the price per unit to overcome. It is a technology worth pursuing for the benefits it will bring over LED and OLED, but like fusion power, it's always seems to be "a couple of years away".

that's fine, and it sure wasn't Apple hyping this up ...
not reading about "yet another year delayed ..." here on MR will be a blessing

 

[hoodafoo]

why does anyone need a fancy display on a product that we glance at once in while?

 

[klasma]

Apple should release a new iPhone mini. That would bring at least some positive revenue instead of losing billions in R&D.

 

[now i see it]

So OLED hell will be with us a wee bit longer (or forever)

 

[testcard]

I'm still extremely happy with my Ultra 2 and see no reason to change in the near future.

 

[kiranmk2]

The display in the watch is to small to see a noticeable difference

The strategy would be to use a small display to develop the engineering process (less panels with defects leading to higher yields) and then as the yields approach 90-100%, start scaling it up to iPhone-sized screens etc.

MicroLED does seem like it's not going to happen. OLED development was a two-fold challenge - make better, longer lasting materials (which takes a long time) and solve the engineering challenges (yields, encapsulation, pixel compensation etc). MicroLED "only" has the engineering challenge and here we are, 6-7 years since Samsung announced the first microLED TVs (still around $100k mark) and microLED is no nearer actual consumer products.

 

[daniesy]

Why launch a brand new innovation instead of selling the same thing over and over again? The new “feature” for the ultra 3 will be a new color and everybody will buy it.

 

[kalafalas]

My guess is dual-layer qd-oled tech is starting to out preform microLED, at a fraction of the cost

 

[CWallace]

that's fine, and it sure wasn't Apple hyping this up ...
not reading about "yet another year delayed ..." here on MR will be a blessing

To be fair, it was Apple Analysts who were consistently hyping this up. Apple never publicly acknowledged they were developing a product using MicroLED.

 

[miiwtoo]

seriously, we dont need microLED on the apple watch, that technology is for the AVP or the mac line 🥱

 

[cdsapplefan]

There canceling that 5G Modem Project next. They spent $1 Billion to get away from Qualcomm, but they are still paying them well into the future because of patents

 

[BornAgainMac]

Apple will cancel Mother Nature next…

View attachment 2354314

Yeah, she is like Negan from Walking Dead when he visited the Camp to get their percentage.

 

[EugW]

This reminds me of SED.

 

[jmgregory1]

It’s seems pretty clear to me that the shift down to micro-sized LED from mini is as difficult today is it was a decade ago when we first started hearing about it. This news could also be why we’re hearing of iPad Pro’s shifting to OLED. I wonder what the purported energy savings is in using micro-LED vs OLED, if that was the driving force behind Apple wanting to change to micro-LED? Or maybe it was just about having a display option that wasn’t sourced through Samsung…

 

[Fandroid killer]

Apple supplier ams OSRAM on Wednesday announced it would "re-assess its microLED strategy" after a "cornerstone project" was "unexpectedly cancelled" that day. The company's stock plunged nearly 40% following the news, earlier shared by AppleInsider.

Counterpoint Research's Display Supply Chain Consultants told MacRumors that it believes this project related to the rumored Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display. The research firm said low production yields, along with high costs and risk, are likely the primary reasons for the project being canceled with ams OSRAM. The firm said it remains to be seen if Apple looks for another supplier, or sticks with OLED displays for the Apple Watch.

ams OSRAM said "discussions with the related customer are ongoing," so an Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display is not completely ruled out, and it may just be further delayed. The device was expected to launch in 2025 or 2026, depending on the source, but it may take even longer to be released, if ever, given this latest development.

Apple is believed to have been actively developing microLED technology since it acquired California-based company LuxVue in 2014. Benefits of microLED displays compared to OLED displays typically include increased brightness, improved power efficiency, higher contrast ratio, and more, but the technology is still expensive.

Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra With MicroLED Display Seemingly 'Canceled' For Now

This is sad. Looks like android will have to be first yet again to bring Innovation

 

[tipoo]

Not cancelled, this was one of a few partners

https://twitter.com/x/status/1763297383046365515

 

[Rafagon]

They're canceling everything. I wonder how much was spent on R&D for that watch.

 

[George Bailey]

Lol. So instead of Apple doing layoffs, they just decided let’s cancel every darn thing. Lol.

They're not cancelling the Ultra. The experimental display tech is not yet working out. This sort of thing happens. Remember sapphire?

 

[dannyyankou]

Lol. So instead of Apple doing layoffs, they just decided let’s cancel every darn thing. Lol. That’s one way to save money I guess.

Apple, like most companies, look at a lot of different ideas. Some make it to market, some take longer than expected to execute, and many are cancelled altogether because they're not feasible.

Hope this helps.

 

[groove-agent]

This has already been reported on and Apple is “exploring” smart rings aka IF Apple releases a smart ring it is YEARS away. They have had many smart ring patents dating many years back, and by applying patents does not mean there is an imminent release of a smart ring.

I don't understand the purpose of the smart ring. It's redundant to the smart watch much like the smart watch is redundant to the smart phone. Maybe the point is to get rid of the watch and just have a phone and a ring? The common denominator with all these devices is struggling with battery life, so it doesn't make sense to shrink down wearables even further IMO.

 

[Octavius8]

If Apple bought Luxview, why it needs Osram?, cant Luxview manufacture?. Does Apple supplies "required specs" and the suppliers must find a way to comply or Apple provides real blueprints including electric, mechanic, resistance, etc. desings to their providers?.