I find the PWM and ghosting of the OLED far more distracting and annoying than a little bit of backlight. I'd rather they bring a ProMotion LCD to the iPhone than put OLED in anything else.
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Innolux to Supply Mini-LED Panels for iPad Pro to Launch in Second Half of 2020
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i got a pro now. i know it's silly as there are multiple releases forecast.
but I got such a good deal - from Amazon - that I thought it was the better bet to just go now. For my work, a future better screen and speed will not be missed too much, and never cared about the cameras.
I don’t want oled, if that’s what this is. On a $50 device, okay, fine. Not on something expensive I expect to use for years.
and is this really not launching until July or later? It’s been well over a year already. Unless they’re going to update it twice, once for last year and then six months later for this year.
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current model is awesome, other than just however many years of support it has left.
and is this really not launching until July or later? It’s been well over a year already. Unless they’re going to update it twice, once for last year and then six months later for this year.
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current model is awesome, other than just however many years of support it has left.
I think they will update the current iPad Pro in March and introduce an “all new” iPad Pro Max at the end of the year with a mini LED display.
This should allow for HDR support on the iPad, but personally I would rather have OLED as it would give better results also for response times and battery life.
Considering the few Mini-LED 4K monitors announced at CES are insanely expensive at $3600, I bet this iPad will also be priced very high. It will most likely be the kind of thing that makes absolutely no sense for most people to buy but the rich will flex and get it.
Considering the few Mini-LED 4K monitors announced at CES are insanely expensive at $3600, I bet this iPad will also be priced very high. It will most likely be the kind of thing that makes absolutely no sense for most people to buy but the rich will flex and get it.
The problem is that you can get little halos and areas where the contrast suffers on mini-LED. There isn’t an LED for each pixel, so each LED is responsible for numerous pixels, some of which may want to be black, and some of which need to be lit. So some processor makes a choice - do I light the black pixels or do I not light the pixels that do need to be lit. The end result is a display that is not as good as OLED with respect to contrast/black level (but is better for brightness). More LEDs help, but we don’t know how many LEDs this thing will have.
Sounds like a staggered release. We’ll get a normal refresh next month for iPad Pro with current form. Fall will be an iPhone X type release for the larger iPad Pro with 5G. It’ll be the most expensive iPad, but it’s a peek into the early 2020s. It’s like the new MacBook Pro 16”, we don’t have the 14” yet.
If watch something at night without lights in the room I find the LCD too distracting. But I agree on the fact that ProMotion is even better, since I scroll more on the iPhone I wish they put ProMotion there. Hopefully we'll get something this year, I think they'll eventually get rid of LCD, use current OLED on cheaper phones and put a ProMotion OLED on the flagship.
If these folks just got the contract, then it is highly unlikely there are any mini-LED panels available this Spring. Fall would be about as early as likely would got to some volume production.
One path would be that the folks with the March rumor are 'confused' as to whether it is a actually an iPad Pro talking about. An iPad Air updated to new camera subsystem and A13 would look like of "Pro" model if judged by iPhone "Pro" adjective assignment criteria. ( Fancier camera than mainstream is a big "Pro" marker.)
Could also perhaps see Apple slapping the 11" form factor onto the Air. ( being brave and dropping the headphone jack there too). That would all the more likely cause assignment of "Pro" to that update.
IMHO, there is a good likelihood of there being an A13X available in March. An A14X would more likely come in Fall. That also couples to there not being a real Pro release this Spring. ( The A14X would come with a process shrink which would all Apple to transistor budget without making the die incrementally bigger. A__X are always a big on the bigger size. an A13X would just be plainly bigger than the A12X )
If it is just an Air update then there is plenty of room to update the iPad Pro in the Fall. An Air update with just the camera and plain A13 isn't going to particularly impinge upon the iPad Pro space in the mean time. Less RAM , less GPU raw grunt , less screen tech , etc. will leave enough of a gap for the current Pro models to coast into Fall with relatively few problems.
Apple's AR needs to get into the hands of more folks to make adoption pretty widespread. If confined to the $799 and up zone that isn't really going to contribute well adoption rate. If the mini-LED screen brings another gap building bump to iPad Pro prices ( base starts at $899 ) then even more so. Additionally, Apple's AR is just as likely to have consumer solution space instances as much as "Pro" ones. It doesn't do AR much good to put it on almost single group track development.
It won't be surprising at all if Apple slaps 'XDR' (or some other beyond HDR ) label on the iPad Pro. They won't need the enhanced camera subsystem to justify slapping "Pro" on the models at all. So wouldn't have to confine it just to the iPad Pro for next couple of years. More CPU-GPU , RAM , and way better screen is enough of a gap.
The "thinner" screen could go to more battery volume. Not sure mini-LEDs, if crank the numbers much higher, are going to lead to better power consumption dynamics. And if pushing higher peak brightness even less so.
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That is more so "closer to" OLED than "better than". micro-LED may have a better luck at being "better than" , but those are substantially different and not coming in volume at these screen sizes in 2020.
Smaller/Smallest LED drifts into the micro-LED territory. When the LED gets down to about the same size as a pixel then in the micro-LED territory. At that point there is little leverage that OLED has since it too is down at the pixel size level range. If both have a pixel turned off then not particularly going to be any "blacker" as there is no light coming out at all.
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That depends on how they passed qualification ( e.g. had to produce in sizable batches at consistent quality. ... not just they produced a couple dozen prototypes). If they have done substantive batch productions then have a production line R&D more than just partially done.
The other issue is whether they production facilities are already filled with jobs for other customers. If this is a new factory ( mostly currently empty ) factory that will be dedicated to Apple production ... then could stock and ramp in July-August. July is 5 months from now.
If they are just mating the backlighting to someone else's screen (e.g., LG) then some aspects of this are "finishing".
Finally, because iPad Pro's are so expensive the volume isn't quite as high (relative to other iPads). Even if they are a "smaller player" in the contracting space it is a "smaller" product ( in terms of volume ).
I would have to concur that the rumored Fall release iPad Pro could very well be a brand new sizes of a 12” and 15” iPad Pro, but I also think the 11” and 12.9” iPad Pros will be refreshed in March with brand new 12” and 15” iPad Pros coming in the Fall. This way Apple can claim they are not one-for-one replacements of the “old” 11” and 12.9” iPad Pros.
Based on the conflicting reports, I expect the March iPP to have a dual camera setup and 4G/LTE we saw rumored a while back while the new 12” and 15” will have the triple camera setup and 5G. The March release will be either A13 or A13X and the fall release will be A14 or A14X, but will come after the iPhone 12 debuts with the A14. The changes to the March release iPPs will be fairly minor while the Fall release will be major and designed to show off the capabilities of iPadOS 14. Remember Apple replaced the 15” MacBook Pro with a 16” model rather than acknowledge the 15” models shortcomings (battery life, keybaord longevity, heat-related performance issues, stage lighting effects, lack of ESC key, et al.) and I suspect they will do that same with the iPP. Moving to larger screen sizes allows more DRAM, more battery and a fresh start with regard to thickness without letting reviewers and forums members have a way to directly compare previous product generations and boast about how Apple had finally listened to them and “fixed” the iPad Pro.
There are quite a few users clamoring for a larger than 12.9” iPP and Apple might be ready to oblige them. I also expect Apple to recycle the old “molds” for the 2015-2017 12.9” iPP and make a larger version of the iPad Air. So the lineup will be 10.5” and 12.9“ iPad Airs and 12” and 15” iPad Pros, because not everyone that wants a larger iPad (12.9”) wants to buy an iPad Pro. Expect further stratification of the iPad lineup, not less.
The fact is though, until Logic Pro ”Express” and Final Cut “Express” for iPadOS are released along with some other key Pro apps along with the possibility of a real mouse pointer and some fixes to iPadOS 13’s very real shortcomings (multi-tasking, Files, more robust USB device support, spanning instead of mirroring monitors, text selection, et al.) Apple is clearly ahead of their own curve with the current iPad Pros. Is that a bad thing? No, but they seem to be putting pieces into place for a device that still isn’t living up to its potential, OS and App-wise.
Based on the conflicting reports, I expect the March iPP to have a dual camera setup and 4G/LTE we saw rumored a while back while the new 12” and 15” will have the triple camera setup and 5G. The March release will be either A13 or A13X and the fall release will be A14 or A14X, but will come after the iPhone 12 debuts with the A14. The changes to the March release iPPs will be fairly minor while the Fall release will be major and designed to show off the capabilities of iPadOS 14. Remember Apple replaced the 15” MacBook Pro with a 16” model rather than acknowledge the 15” models shortcomings (battery life, keybaord longevity, heat-related performance issues, stage lighting effects, lack of ESC key, et al.) and I suspect they will do that same with the iPP. Moving to larger screen sizes allows more DRAM, more battery and a fresh start with regard to thickness without letting reviewers and forums members have a way to directly compare previous product generations and boast about how Apple had finally listened to them and “fixed” the iPad Pro.
There are quite a few users clamoring for a larger than 12.9” iPP and Apple might be ready to oblige them. I also expect Apple to recycle the old “molds” for the 2015-2017 12.9” iPP and make a larger version of the iPad Air. So the lineup will be 10.5” and 12.9“ iPad Airs and 12” and 15” iPad Pros, because not everyone that wants a larger iPad (12.9”) wants to buy an iPad Pro. Expect further stratification of the iPad lineup, not less.
The fact is though, until Logic Pro ”Express” and Final Cut “Express” for iPadOS are released along with some other key Pro apps along with the possibility of a real mouse pointer and some fixes to iPadOS 13’s very real shortcomings (multi-tasking, Files, more robust USB device support, spanning instead of mirroring monitors, text selection, et al.) Apple is clearly ahead of their own curve with the current iPad Pros. Is that a bad thing? No, but they seem to be putting pieces into place for a device that still isn’t living up to its potential, OS and App-wise.
Which is kind of why adding the camera system to a A13 bumped iPad Air ( probably not 6GB of DRAM)
( If don't put a higher power draw screen on it then won't need bigger battery. ) And if the starting base price is lower then folks can upgrade to 128GB (or better) .
I doubt the iPad Pro would actually get thinner if the screen subsystem gets thinner. If add stuff like 5G (more antennas) , ore wireless charging (reverse charging) , higher power draw screen , etc. to the current iPad Pro chassis then can easily suck up that volume given back.
If Apple is retreating from the "not as bendable" aspect then that would be a bigger driver.
"6GB of DRAM across the board"
Given that there's been a recent increase of create professional apps for the iPad Pro, I say push it to 8GB RAM across the board.
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"I would have to concur that the rumored Fall release iPad Pro could very well be a brand new sizes of a 12” and 15” iPad Pro” => why 12" & 15" and not 12" & 14"?
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Apple is somewhat notorious for not being overly generous with DRAM. Most users have no clue that only the 1TB models come with 6GB of DRAM, so I’m tempering my optimism that putting 6GB across the board is Apple being generous to us. However, 8GB of DRAM would be better.
I’m totally guessing, but if Apple is listening to external and internal customers, then I would stand by 15” as that is the size I keep hearing, reading, seeing users mentioning that they want. Something significant over 12.9”(13”), but I cannot know what Apple is thinking. They may very well think 12” and 14” is just right for the next round and go with that. It will be fun to see which of us guessed correctly.
I think some folks are getting themselves confused.
MiniLED and microLED are two completely different categories, don’t mix them up.
miniLED is just backlighting improvements for current LCD displays. It doesn’t turn LCD to be equal or better than OLED at all, it is still an LCD display with thinner panel because LEDs are smaller.
microLED is a new panel technology in development that is supposed to be better than OLED but it hasn’t been mass-produced nor tested.
MiniLED and microLED are two completely different categories, don’t mix them up.
miniLED is just backlighting improvements for current LCD displays. It doesn’t turn LCD to be equal or better than OLED at all, it is still an LCD display with thinner panel because LEDs are smaller.
microLED is a new panel technology in development that is supposed to be better than OLED but it hasn’t been mass-produced nor tested.
I think Apple will implement microLED on wearables first, starting with Apple Watch and then their AR headset / glasses.
It all depends on supply, costs, and so on.
As microLED is brand new, it's going to be more expensive than OLED to implement and OLED is getting cheaper every year as more and more suppliers step in.
I don't think Apple will microLED on Apple watches if it doubles or even triples the cost because the display cost more, especially since Apple Watch already uses OLED and microLED is likely to not be that big of a difference at first glance. Limited supply also means Apple will not put it on a very popular product like Apple Watch.
I can see them doing it with the AR/VR headset because I believe they'll price it very high and it'll be very limited supply, perfect for microLED as well.
If Apple is on a path to supersede the iPad Pro screen sizes again then it seem pretty likely they do something similar as before. 10.5 Pro ---> new iPad Air. In that case the 12.9 wouldn't go anywhere. The stripped down ( via just A13 , no ProMotion , but new camera) 11 Pro ---> to new Air 2019 . If they were extending the "courage to drop the headphone jack" then that too would get lost. They would have an 11" Air that was more expensive than the 10.2 iPad. ( so don't have explain the 0.3 difference between them. )
Growing the screen size larger will making it tougher to compete with OLED for a fixed number of mini-LEDs. The more and smaller zones the better it will do. Shifting to mini-LED and bumping the screen larger at the same time isn't going to bring the same "bang for the buck". Either going to drive the cost much higher or reduce the benefit of having more LEDs. In least advantaged case do both.
The above two track update is suggestive that Apple is pursuing some 4 model iPad Pro path... iPad Pro ( 11 and 12.9 and perhaps the extra, even more expensive , XDR Pro path). Maybe that fits with Apple's sell less at higher prices/margins strategy but seems overzealous even for Apple. Pushing iPad Pros higher and deeper into the MBP price range will probably bring as many problems as benefits.
Apple didn't replace the 15" MBP with a substantively larger MBP. The MBP 16" wasn't the 'return' of the MBP 17" at all. The MBP 16" is far more akin to the trendy "war on bezels" move. It is very incrementally bigger, but in part to get around thermal and battery volume issues. It is basically at 16" screen in a 15" chassis.
The "war on bezels" was already largely completed on the iPad Pro. In part, that is why the headphone jack is gone.
When/If Apple updates the iPad Air, they are not going to update it to dual cameras even if they add a 12.9” iPad Air model. Apple’s delineation is quite clear here. Single camera with 1080p recording. I don’t see them offering beyond the current 64GB and 256GB tiers and moving it to the A13 in the Fall of 2020 or even wait ing until Spring 2021 with the Airs. My post was referencing what I want in an updated iPad Pro.
Starting base price of the iPad Air isn’t going to change. Apple owns the tablet market and has zero incentive to lower their cost for the non-Pro lineup at all. Adding a 12.9” iPad Air simply give them a cheaper alternative for a current hole in their lineup for any sales they might be losing to those who don’t want to cough up the cash on a 12.9” iPad Pro and keep costs reasonable by using the 2015-2017 12.9” iPad Pro chassis.
The iPad Pros are the only models likely to see a dual or triple camera feature for the next 12-18 months.
Sorry, but your logic is faulty. Apple isn’t going to reuse the current iPP chassis for the iPad Air models. They will keep that exclusive to the iPad Pro and alter it slightly for that rumored 12” iPad Pro. My total speculation is that they have a super secret 14“-15” iPP waiting in the wings for a Fall debut with triple cameras and 5G. After the 2019 15” MBP was superseded so quickly by the 16” I think Apple has no problem updating the current iPP this march and getting ~8 months of life out it before replacing it outright.
The 16” isn’t substantively larger but it is not basically a 16” in a 15” chassis. Even if it is, how is it germane to the conversation? My argument is that Apple would rather move to a 12” and 15” iPad Pro this Fall than ever acknowledge any of the current iPad Pro’s shortcomings as they did with the MacBook Pro.
There is zero evidence that Apple is going to pursue a 4 model iPad Pro path and that isn’t what I’m predicting. I’m predicting a rather mild iPad Pro refresh here in a month with the 11” and 12.9” models and then completely new 12” and 15” models in the Fall, either with slightly updated 10.5” Air and a new 12.9” model that uses the 2015-2017 chassis or just two new iPad Pro models (12” and 15”) for the holiday buying season with an updated Air model in Q1/2021. Either way, the 11” and 12.9” iPad Pros cease to exist in November.
Mini-LED also allows local dimming, which does permit higher contrast ratios (albeit imprecisely applied).
That's not exclusive to miniLED, it just makes it easier but there are monitors on market with local dimming zones with regular LED backlight (like Apple's XDR for an example).
I would lower the expectations of what miniLED may bring when compared to Apple's existing excellent IPS monitors. Yes, thinner, more contrast but not to the point that it's going to be like having OLED and won't have backlighting issues (just less of it).
