OLED in Apple's Future?

[michaelrjohnson]

Organic Light Emitting Diode displays are an emerging technology. Basically, to sum up:
- They are paper thin
- They are brigher than any existing displays
- They are not backlit (thus saving power and space)
- Viewing angle is well beyond 160 degrees
- etc

As per this article, Eastman Kodak has begun to officially license its OLED display technology to over a dozen companies, and full-scale production has already begun. Also, a 15in OLED display was recently on display at CES 04. The technology is available, but patented beyond recognition.

How long do you think it will be until Apple begins to use OLED displays in its products (Displays, PowerBooks, iBooks, iPods)?

 

[atari1356]

Cool bit of technology, but it's more expensive to make them than LCD's right now. To quote that article:

"At least initially, the OLED screens are more expensive than their LCD counterparts. The 2.2-inch display SK Display is producing is about 50 percent more expensive than a comparable LCD, says a company spokesperson."

I wonder how much it costs to make the screen in an iPod? 50 percent of $30 wouldn't be too bad of a price increase... but if it's 50% of $100 I doubt Apple would want to use it. ... and I'm guessing we won't see OLED displays in laptops for a few years yet.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Cool bit of technology, but it's more expensive to make them than LCD's right now. To quote that article:

"At least initially, the OLED screens are more expensive than their LCD counterparts. The 2.2-inch display SK Display is producing is about 50 percent more expensive than a comparable LCD, says a company spokesperson."

I wonder how much it costs to make the screen in an iPod? 50 percent of $30 wouldn't be too bad of a price increase... but if it's 50% of $100 I doubt Apple would want to use it. ... and I'm guessing we won't see OLED displays in laptops for a few years yet.

I agree. Since OLED technology is in its early stages and prices are still high, most mainstream products won't use them until prices drop. When that time comes, though...OLEDs will flood the market, I predict.

 

[Bear]

I can see Apple using OLED in Powerbooks first for a lighter weight unit. After that, depends on the cost. In an iPod if that will help apple win the weight and size war going on in MP3 players.

I can also see them going on desktop units if they are better for bideo/photo work. Although hopefully they would leave the current style LCDs in the lineup until the OLED ones dropped in price.

 

[Grimace]

While OLEDs would be a good enhancement, LCD screens on laptops aren't all THAT heavy. The battery really weighs down laptops.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

While OLEDs would be a good enhancement, LCD screens on laptops aren't all THAT heavy. The battery really weighs down laptops.

Actually, an OLED screen would drain significantly less power than an LCD, which would allow the notebook to use a lighter battery. That way everybody's happy.

 

[blue&whiteman]

They are brigher than any existing displays

this is no good for me as I like screens a bit darker. this is why for now I much prefer crt's. I do a lot of writing on my mac and text shows up much better when my screen is darker. I have a top of the line viewsonic crt that has 3 preset brightness settings, normal (for text and most normal usage), 3x brightness (for games and graphic arts) and 4x brightness (for dvd/video). I love this thing. crt's cost much less, do higher resolutions and have a better picture in my opinion. some people say they have an lcd to save desk space. hahaha! it would be far more economical to just buy a larger desk and stick with a crt rather than pay hundreds more for an lcd that has limited res. and controls. something to think about.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

this is no good for me as I like screens a bit darker. this is why for now I much prefer crt's. I do a lot of writing on my mac and text shows up much better when my screen is darker. I have a top of the line viewsonic crt that has 3 preset brightness settings, normal (for text and most normal usage), 3x brightness (for games and graphic arts) and 4x brightness (for dvd/video). I love this thing. crt's cost much less, do higher resolutions and have a better picture in my opinion. some people say they have an lcd to save desk space. hahaha! it would be far more economical to just buy a larger desk and stick with a crt rather than pay hundreds more for an lcd that has limited res. and controls. something to think about.

You forgot about the fact that LCDs need no geometry adjustments and little to no color calibration. Those two factors make LCDs more convienient for some people, and may be the reason they purchase an LCD instead of a CRT. I agree with you 100% on the resolution thing - LCD resolution scaling, when compared to a CRT, is terrible.

 

[PlaceofDis]

i would like to see the displays in a side by side comparison....but these sound good and i cant wait....the lcd on my powerbook is too dim for me some of the time.....could be good for apple too

 

[blue&whiteman]

I agree with you 100% on the resolution thing - LCD resolution scaling, when compared to a CRT, is terrible.

my crt's max res. goes higher than even apples 23" lcd. its max is 1920 where mine is 2048. not too shabby for a 19" crt.

 

[Koodauw]

Ummmm G5 PB with OLED screen.........droooooooool.

Sounds awesome to me. Anything that can make my PB thinner, and/ give me better battery life is fine by me. Any word on how fragile they, a paper thin cover could get damaged fairly easily I would think.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

my crt's max res. goes higher than even apples 23" lcd. its max is 1920 where mine is 2048. not too shabby for a 19" crt.

Why would you ever go that high on a 19" screen? Wouldn't the text be hard to read at that high of a resolution? 2048 might just be a software limit in Mac OS X - your CRT may be capable of even higher resolutions than this.

 

[blue&whiteman]

Why would you ever go that high on a 19" screen? Wouldn't the text be hard to read at that high of a resolution? 2048 might just be a software limit in Mac OS X - your CRT may be capable of even higher resolutions than this.

I run it at 1920x1440, not 2048x1536. only reason I don't use 2048 though is because expose and full screen video slow down that high. I find osx much more pixel hogging than os9 was. I ran 9 at 1792x1344. I just hate everything being big and blocky on the screen. I like room and a clean trim look on my screen. once you get used to such a high res. the rewards are great. crisper everything! so vivid. even pixelated (not sure if thats even a real word ) images look good at this res.

2048x1536 is equal to 4 screens running 1024x768 and I run mine just under that.

 

[janey]

You forgot about the fact that LCDs need no geometry adjustments and little to no color calibration.

um right
why do people calibrate their LCDs then...? My iBook's LCD, calibrated, etc., looks crap compared to a calibrated CRT.
But I dont mind, text is almost always sharper and nicer on an LCD.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

um right
why do people calibrate their LCDs then...? My iBook's LCD, calibrated, etc., looks crap compared to a calibrated CRT.
But I dont mind, text is almost always sharper and nicer on an LCD.

People calibrate their LCDs because they don't use Macs or didn't buy an Apple LCD. Apple's LCDs need no calibration whatsoever (in my experience). However, LCDs made by other manufacturers, especially if they are analog, still need to be calibrated. What is the point of an analog LCD anyway? I thought LCDs were meant for a digital connection because of the way they display images, whereas CRTs were designed for analog connections.

 

[Peyote]

People calibrate their LCDs because they don't use Macs or didn't buy an Apple LCD. Apple's LCDs need no calibration whatsoever (in my experience). However, LCDs made by other manufacturers, especially if they are analog, still need to be calibrated. What is the point of an analog LCD anyway? I thought LCDs were meant for a digital connection because of the way they display images, whereas CRTs were designed for analog connections.

I guess that's why Apple advertises the Eye-One Display Color Calibration system on the Apple store's LCD displays page, right?

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I guess that's why Apple advertises the Eye-One Display Color Calibration system on the Apple store's LCD displays page, right?

Why haven't I had to calibrate my Apple display, then? I haven't had any serious color matching problems; in fact, I tried using the calibration utility but most of the settings were not available. I don't understand

 

[janey]

Why haven't I had to calibrate my Apple display, then? I haven't had any serious color matching problems; in fact, I tried using the calibration utility but most of the settings were not available. I don't understand

well thats you, but I have a problem with having such a discrepancy with the colors between my laptops, printers, et cetera. Even the limited options in Apple's calibration utility is useful. GretagMacbeth makes some awesome stuff though, I think i'll try the eye-one thing.
Meh...try calibrating a CRT, much more options, but then again a CRT is different...
oh btw, you probably havent noticed any differences in Apple LCD colors...because THEY ALL USE THE DEFAULT COLORSYNC PROFILE!!! hehe.
Its the colorsync profile (in Mac OS X) that is responsible for color management.

 

[mnkeybsness]

I really wish they could get better resolutions in LCDs. Like many others, I am very spoiled with a high resolution CRT and just can't seem to be able to adjust to LCDs. The only way that I would switch would be for a very large LCD like a 23" or dual 20".

 

[Sparky's]

I've had my doubts about LCD color accuracy for a long time (since LCDs were introduced). Being a Graphics Pro I use 2 Viewsonic 21" CRTs at work and have to maintain calibration on them on a weekly basis. When dealing with clients who demand WYSIWYG color in the reproduction of art, I have yet seen an LCD that could compare to the sharpness (resolutions higher than 1600 x 1900) or color matching. The Apple 20" and 23" Cinema Displays came close (seen Dec 1, 2003 in Boston) but I'll stick to our CRTs.

 

[Dreadnought]

As per this article, Eastman Kodak has begun to officially license its OLED display technology to over a dozen companies, and full-scale production has already begun. Also, a 15in OLED display was recently on display at CES 04. The technology is available, but patented beyond recognition.

How long do you think it will be until Apple begins to use OLED displays in its products (Displays, PowerBooks, iBooks, iPods)?

Well, if I remember correctly, there was a rumor a couple of months back saying the same thing. And Apple's name was mentioned (even as a partner/investor). Apple probably has something cooking in that big R&D lab of theirs. They will probably get it out when the prices come down a bit and are almost the same as LCD technology. Probably sooner, Apple always been a bit of an early adaptor.

 

[Counterfit]

Ummmm G5 PB with OLED screen.........droooooooool.

Sounds awesome to me. Anything that can make my PB thinner, and/ give me better battery life is fine by me. Any word on how fragile they, a paper thin cover could get damaged fairly easily I would think.

One of the other benefits is that they can be folder or rolled up. (I think)

 

[Sparky's]

After visiting this site I think computer monitors may be just an also ran with this technology. The variety of application seems awesome.

http://www.universaldisplay.com/tech.php

Think of having a display (no TV sci-fi) on your glasses that can be turned on and off instantly, and with everything else considered your portable would be the size of an iPod, OK possibilities running amuck.....