MacBook Air With OLED Display Reportedly Delayed

[Marty80]

Thats sucks by the time the Macbook Air lineup rolls over to OLED, the Macbook pro will be rolling over to the next gen led displays.

 

[wbeasley]

a lot (most?) ppl use their iPad like a laptop, landscape with keyboard. Same terrible ergonomics, same fingerprints lol

An iPad is NOT a laptop.
No keyboard for most or mouse.

And the OS is finger first so buttons etc are designed for touching easily.

I guess you are just one of those people who demand Apple give iOS full MacOS tools... it aint happening.

You want full fat OS, the Macbook Airs are almost as easy to carry as an iPad.
And designed for desktop tasks.

 

[wbeasley]

Speaking of the notch, I just noticed a way to sort of get rid of it on my 16 inch M1 Macbook Pro that I'd seen before, but for some reason it hadn't sunk in too well: all of the non-HiDPI scaled resolutions below the default of 1728 x 1117, and more than half of the non-HiDPI resolutions above the default (select the Displays prefpane's option to show all resolutions) make the notch go away by slightly letterboxing the display by placing a black bar a quarter of an inch tall (wide?) (same as the notch) at the top of the display, overlapping/ superimposed over the notch, and subtracting only a millimeter or two at the bottom of the display. Sure you lose a little screen real estate, but if one of these scaled resolutions still shows enough pixels for you and doesn't annoy you even more than the notch for some other reason, it's an easy way to make the notch disappear, and get back some menu bar real estate.

I don't see any degradation in the sharpness of text, or anything else, when I have my Macbook's display set to 1312 x 820 or 1280 x 800, which are non-HiDPI resolutions, compared to the nearest-higher HiDPI scaling of 1312 x 848. My eyes aren't as good as they used to be, but (temporarily) looking at the display from only about five inches away, the resolution looks the same to me at all three of these settings.

Or just install an app like TopNotch that makes the area black.
You get added notification area and dont see the notch most of the time...

 

[johnsawyercjs]

No offence, but it’s the same as buying a high-end MacBook Pro and using it to watch movies; it can be great because of the screen and other factors

If the quality of the mini-LED LCD displays in the current high-end Macbook Pros is largely the same as in my M1 Macbook Pro 16 Inch, then (even though they're pretty good) watching movies on them, in my experience, isn't always quite great since details in dimly-lit areas in films and TV shows (which is a lot of them) are greatly reduced compared to OLED. That's why I can't watch shows like Silo on my Macbook Pro, but I have no such issues watching it on my Sony OLED TV (though even there I need to turn off all the lights in the room to do it justice). The current iPad Pros, with their OLED displays, might be great for watching these dimly-lit productions, but I haven't seen one yet.

 

[wbeasley]

This is not how Apple thinks. Which is more profitable? Will embracing more expensive OLED be appealing enough to make up for the cut to profit by not sticking with the "as is"?

ASUS doesn't chase Apple's sky high margin. Thus, they can put great value into lower-priced offerings. Apple is almost at pocketing 50¢ of every $1 paid towards their wares. 50%!!! In pursuit of "another record quarter," they are focused on cutting costs and/or raising prices to fatten that margin and pocket more, more, more!

A more expensive display technology won't cut costs. Will it allow them to charge more for it? Maybe? Do we want even higher prices? They are already priced relatively high as you point out.

Will enough units of an OLED MBair sell to make up for the added cost of including OLED with all that sell... and then some?



This Apple is focused on "another record quarter" above all else.

That Apple was probably focused on making "insanely great products" with a goal of "another record quarter" being a natural benefit of achieving that. In other words, one is focused on that above everything and the other could get that as a natural extension of rolling out dazzling products.

This Apple is cozy with Wall Street and has taken on enormous Wall Street debt.

That Apple abhorred corporate debt and seemed to much prefer keeping Wall Street at arms length. Look up what Apple debt was under Jobs and what it has become today. But sit down first. It's a shocker.

Perhaps both are similar in name only? Today's Apple is very different than yesterday's. Shareholder delight seems to be the primary focus on this Apple and it is doing a spectacular job of that. That Apple seemed to put customers above all... delighting shareholders by happier customers buying more and thus achieving "another record quarter" in a way that made it seem like it wasn't always shareholders > customers.

Apple margins are NOT 50%...

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Why are you people scared about the notch, just put a black or dark wallpaper!

One of the main practical issues with the notch is that it removes useful space from the menu bar that could be occupied by the icons for menu bar items. When you have a lot of menu bar items, some of them won't be displayed if the app you're using has a lot of pulldown menus in the menu bar, and even fewer menu bar item icons can be displayed due to the notch getting in their way. Reducing the Macbook's display resolution a bit, to a non-HiDPI setting, can "fix" this by pushing down the display area a quarter-inch to below the notch, making the menu bar contiguous again, but at the cost of some (though not much) screen real estate.

 

[Big_D]

I'd prefer a MacBook Air M4 announcement in the next day or two... I've been pushing my MBA upgrade at work for 2 months now and at home I want to swap my mini for an Air M4, or a MB Pro M4 Pro... I don't really need the features of the Pro at home, the Air would fit the bill nicely, but waiting and waiting...

 

[MJaP]

I don't think the future is going to be OLED, I don't think the future is even going to be micro led (they're having trouble getting a high enough DPI, especially without failure).

The future is QDEL (Quantum Dot Electro Luminescent displays), in other words Quantum Dots that produce their own light, they have an infinite contrast with true blacks, they don't have a risk of burn in, they're not organic so they don't degrade over time, and they are A LOT easier and less expensive to produce than micro led.

...and TCL Displays has already produced a prototype display on a laptop at CES...

 

[kamyk35]

The wait for a MacBook Air with an OLED display might take longer than initially expected.

Korean website The Elec yesterday cited an industry source who said the first MacBook Air with an OLED display will likely be released around 2029, instead of by 2027 as originally planned. The report said Apple made this decision as a result of lower-than-expected sales of the first iPad Pro models with OLED displays, which launched last year.

Essentially, the report claims that since OLED displays did not help to boost iPad Pro sales as much as Apple anticipated, the company has decided to delay bringing the expensive technology to the MacBook Air. However, it is unclear if there are any other reasons for the apparent delay that are not mentioned in the report.

While the MacBook Air will apparently stick with LCD technology for the next four years, the report claims that Apple plans to use "oxide TFT" technology for 2027 models. This upgrade would allow for improved color accuracy, higher contrast ratio, more uniform display brightness, and lower power consumption for longer battery life. So, while no OLED, the MacBook Air should still receive meaningful display improvements in two years from now.

MacBook Pro models with OLED displays are still expected to launch next year.

In the meantime, Apple will likely announce updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M4 chip within the next month or two.

Article Link: MacBook Air With OLED Display Reportedly Delayed

Absolutely spot on IMO, the Air has always been a compromised product hardware wise, the only reason people buy it, is because it's cheap and you can't make a product cheap with an Oled panel.

 

[kamyk35]

Mini-LED is useless for text (over plain LCD), which is an important use case for MacBooks. Mini-LED is really only an advantage for HDR photo and video (hence why the technology advances on TVs).

No such issues with my MBP with Mini LED screen, it's actually much better than the LCD I USED TO HAVE IN THE 2020 MBP.

 

[kamyk35]

Part of the reason why they’re expensive is the OLED tech, though.

Another factor, however, is that the M4 iPad Pros broke compatibility with peripherals (Pencil, Magic Keyboard), which may have affected sales more than Apple anticipated.

Or less and less people find a use for them and prefer the iPhone - MacBook combination

 

[switz]

No one is forced to buy any Apple products. If they lack what someone wants, but a different brand. That is really simple, folks.

If you don't like the Ford this year, there are dozens of other vehicle builders to choose from.

All these complaints must be because folks can not admit they made a bad purchase decision to themselves and are sharing their malice with others.

I have been happy with every Apple device I bought (except the hockey puck mouse that was included with the computer) since 1990. All of my choices did what they were designed to do and were reliable.

 

[120FPS]

I know Apple want to push iPads, but given the extra cost when factoring the keyboard and usability of them, most people are better off getting a Mac and it seems a bit silly to hobble the Mac just because the iPad isn’t selling well. It isn’t selling well, because they continue to use software that isn’t as powerful as macOS and inflate the price to ridiculous levels for a tablet device.

Apple seem to want to insist that we buy a Mac, an iPad and an iPhone with their respective accessories. Just make each one as good as you can and let the customer decide which is best for their needs.

 

[falainber]

I don't think the future is going to be OLED, I don't think the future is even going to be micro led (they're having trouble getting a high enough DPI, especially without failure).

The future is QDEL (Quantum Dot Electro Luminescent displays), in other words Quantum Dots that produce their own light, they have an infinite contrast with true blacks, they don't have a risk of burn in, they're not organic so they don't degrade over time, and they are A LOT easier and less expensive to produce than micro led.

...and TCL Displays has already produced a prototype display on a laptop at CES...

View attachment 2474019

And if QDEL is the future, one can be sure Apple will be last to use it.

 

[falainber]

No one is forced to buy any Apple products. If they lack what someone wants, but a different brand. That is really simple, folks.

If you don't like the Ford this year, there are dozens of other vehicle builders to choose from.

All these complaints must be because folks can not admit they made a bad purchase decision to themselves and are sharing their malice with others.

I have been happy with every Apple device I bought (except the hockey puck mouse that was included with the computer) since 1990. All of my choices did what they were designed to do and were reliable.

Is this a convoluted way to say that you don't want a laptop with OLED screen (but still prefer OLED everywhere else: watches, phones, tablets, TVs)?

 

[Momof2.1107]

I know Apple want to push iPads, but given the extra cost when factoring the keyboard and usability of them, most people are better off getting a Mac and it seems a bit silly to hobble the Mac just because the iPad isn’t selling well. It isn’t selling well, because they continue to use software that isn’t as powerful as macOS and inflate the price to ridiculous levels for a tablet device.

Apple seem to want to insist that we buy a Mac, an iPad and an iPhone with their respective accessories. Just make each one as good as you can and let the customer decide which is best for their needs.

After looking at how much I paid for my M2 12.9 iPad Pro and adding a Brydge keyboard, I was better off buying a MB Air. I only use my PC laptop to backup and sync things to my iPhone, so the iPad Pro was a good investment at the time. I’m going to buy my first MacBook after the new Air is announced and I can pick up a M3 for a discount.

 

[The Game 161]

So if you want oled MacBook go get next years pros

 

[Tagbert]

screen saver is in macOS settings.

The mitigation techniques aren't actually preventing burn in. It's smoothing the edges of content so the burn-in appears less obvious. OLED burn-in is actually the subpixels physically degrading. No way around that unless somehow a technological breakthrough happens, hence why microLED displays are being researched & developed (but it is perpetually 5 years away).

Apple’s mitigation strategy is to use tandem OLEDs with two layers of emitters. Those emitters are only driven at about half the power to get the same brightness. That drastically reduces the amount of burn-in. It is a non-linear response to how much power is used to drive the OLED emitters.

 

[hardik7]

These delays are inevitable, knowing the ridiculous amount of time Apple is taking to launch foldable iPhone. Why not shed some light on their so called standard required for foldable? It can negate the need for iPad as Apple has decided not to make iPadOS powerful. Or are they protecting iPad?

 

[Falhófnir]

I'm not necessarily that fussed about OLED on a MacBook, though I would like to see a proper HDR capable display come to the Air at some point. I'd happily take mini LED as a compromise/ differentiator and leave the 'fancier' display for the MacBook Pro. Sounds like if they're planning to jump right to OLED for the Air it's probably already cheaper though?