How do you know what “we” need?
OLED has many functional qualities.
Who are you to say what people’s priorities should be?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
OLED MacBook Air Could Be Delayed Beyond 2027, Claims Report
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
OLED has many functional qualities.
Who are you to say what people’s priorities should be?
I'm a gushing fan of OLED from a pure PQ performance standpoint, but I remain unconvinced that it's well suited to everyday computing. The mini-LED displays in current MacBooks, while not without their flaws, are a good halfway house. Maybe 80% as good as OLED 80% of the time, but with 0% of the worries of what it will look like after several thousand hours of all-day abuse. If and when Apple offer OLED in their Macs, it should be an optional item.
Degradation of LCD can be pretty bad. The display on my Powerbook 140 is barely readable these days. 🤡
blah blah blah and so much OLED FUD
I continue to love using OLED TVs with my Hackintosh --- I've had zero issues with any of the concerns I always see bandied about.
This all just feels like excuse making to justify continue to ship dirt cheap cost 60hz LCD tech through the rest of the decade
I feel bad for Apple laptop buyers. They continue to get the shaft.
Those "XDR" laptop displays have more blooming than Spring flowers - 🤮
I continue to love using OLED TVs with my Hackintosh --- I've had zero issues with any of the concerns I always see bandied about.
This all just feels like excuse making to justify continue to ship dirt cheap cost 60hz LCD tech through the rest of the decade
I feel bad for Apple laptop buyers. They continue to get the shaft.
Those "XDR" laptop displays have more blooming than Spring flowers - 🤮
Last edited:
MacBook Air doesn't need an expensive Oled Panel, Mini LED is plenty good enough.
Apple's plans to release a MacBook Air with an OLED display may face significant delays beyond its original expected 2027 launch window, according to a new report from The Elec.
Industry sources cited by the Korean outlet point to pricing concerns and supply chain challenges as key factors behind the potential delay. The high manufacturing costs associated with OLED displays would substantially increase the MacBook Air's retail price, which risks making it less attractive to consumers.
The MacBook Air is often regarded as the company's most popular Mac model. According to Canalys, Apple's US Mac market share grew by 22% in the first quarter of 2024, a surge that was likely influenced by the introduction of new M3 MacBook Air models.
However, the latest report highlights disappointing OLED iPad Pro sales performance this year as an indicator that switching from LCD to OLED alone is not appealing enough to consumers to justify the increased price. A shipment of around 10 million iPad Pro units was anticipated for 2024, but that figure was revised to 8.5 million earlier in the year and has recently dropped to between 6 and 7 million units. OLED iPad Pro models retail from $999 for the 11-inch model, rising to $1299 for the 13-inch model.
Apple is now said to be seeking lower OLED panel prices for the MacBook Air, but the company has few options in the current supply chain environment. Samsung Display and LG Display provide OLED panels for the iPad Pro, but only Samsung Display is expected to supply panels for an upcoming OLED MacBook Pro, rumored for a 2026 launch. Previous reports have suggested that Samsung Display is developing a 13.3-inch OLED panel for a future MacBook Air model amid Apple's long-term plan to switch all of its product lines to the display technology.
The report goes on to suggest that the OLED MacBook Air will likely use a simpler single-stack OLED configuration, unlike the planned MacBook Pro OLED displays, which will feature a dual-stack design with two emission layers. However, both models will employ hybrid OLED technology combining glass substrates with thin-film encapsulation.
Industry sources suggest Apple and its display partners need to reach a "compromise" that minimizes price increases while maintaining performance standards that differentiate the Air and Pro lineups. Compared to current MacBook Air models with LCD-based screens, benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, and improved power efficiency for longer battery life.
Article Link: OLED MacBook Air Could Be Delayed Beyond 2027, Claims Report
BTW, the same for MacBook Pro's unless significant benefits, that are easily noticed!
Why are we even worried about this on devices that will likely get replaced or traded-in well before any real actual display issue? --Apple doesn't care about longevity anymore anyhow. They'd just as soon sell another extra warranty or have you buy another machine.
Battery issues or simply upgrading are likely to occur for so many of these before any actual problem crops up.
And also, why is OLED ok for the iPP but not MacBooks?
It's similar to TV's, if your TV is on for 8+hrs a day, stay away from Oled, if you want longevity.
Degradation issues have been decreased on Oled panels, not overcome and they will never be over come as long as Oled Pixel are organic, this will be the case!
You point of view is typical of a PC user, you know you will have to change it after 2 years, so things like longevity don't even enter the equation 🤣
Well, 'we' may not be worried but personally I would be in some circumstances. I've seen an obliterated OLED and it's not a pretty sight. Then again LCD doesn't have an unlimited lifespan but it's reasonable to hope that it will outlast OLED.
When it eventually comes to pass I'd like to see OLED as an optional extra so that I could make an informed choice at the time of purchase based on what I think I'm going to use it for most. But I realise it's highly unlikely that Apple would do this, if only because it would be an admission that OLED might not be the best solution long term.
RE: iPad, I have the same reservations for that device but by-and-large it's generally less likely to be used for ten hours a day of work and/or content creation. Not in my hands anyway. In the end OLED is magnificent but it comes with conditions attached. All only in my opinion of course.
You will replace your machine due to other aspects long before you see any significant burnin. Of course, if you plan on using it for 8 hours a day every day for the next 10 years and the lack of any burnin is critical to you then OLED is not for you. In any other case, it will be ok. Just look at 7 year old iPhone X. Most people do not have any burnin, and if they do it is subtle and only visible when the screen is full of one color.
Current screens are already extremely good. The additional benefits of a OLED screen in a laptop don't really matter to me. I'd rather have them lower prices and offer the OLED as option. Apple needs a 15" budget laptop option that offers full processor power but saves on cost drivers like thin-ness, OLED screens and such. But they wont do it as it would immediately cannibalize their premium market.
It's such a huge improvement over the current screens. I can never go back.
I always find it amusing when people comment on PCs that have obviously never used them regularly. Needing to change your PC laptop every 2 years is a laughable concept invented by uninformed Apple fanatics. I've been using PC laptops for decades in a professional capacity and never has one needed to be replaced in such a short timeframe. 4-6 years is closer to the norm from my experience and CPU, memory, or battery concerns tend the be the reason there not the display. Heck even a $300 chromebook will easily last your more that 2 years!
I have noticed that this goes both ways. The strongest opinions and stereotypes (not to say nonsense) about users and their devices are held by people who have never used them and who draw information from their own imaginations.
PC users about Mac users
Mac users about PC users
Android users about iOS users
iOS users about Android users
This probably allows them to feel better about their purchase and feel moral superiority.
The same could be said about adapters and MBP. Ports returned to MBP because it's a far better experience IRL when using a computer, be it in the home, an office, a school or when attending an event. Dongles and adapters are not a good experience.
This makes sense in an MBP used in very large numbers by creative professionals, not in a machine that is for general use and ports like the SD card or HDMI will be used by maybe 1% of users.
I would say something about how other OLED laptops often don't get super bright, but then I remembered the Air tops out at 500 nits.
Good job cost cutting, guys!
Good job cost cutting, guys!
Everyone 'round here said ports were dead and to get over it when I asked for them to come back. I gave Apple feedback for four years. Ports make sense for everyone as it simply makes computers more useable for a wider number of use cases. Apple don't include ports on the Air to push people to the Pro, but my issue is many people explicitly want a thin and light and would love a more versatile one. Ports should be on all laptops. Pro should have pro chips and pro screens and even more ports, but thin and lights should not be port-gimped like MBA is.
I don’t.
Contrast
I don’t. Thats why it is "imo". We all have our own. You do you.
Yeah it was a joke. Sorry it pushed your buttons. We are on a Mac Forum and I thought it might get a chuckle.
Saying that, I recently purchasing a new 2 in 1 HP Laptop, for the first time in over a decade, I was surprised how bad it was versus my MacBook Air, for the same price. Basically it is horrible (not joking). Every time I turn it on, it wants to update. I also have used PC's professionally for 30+ years. They were fine I guess. I don’t want to pay a 150% premium just so I can get a Laptop that has the same build quality as my MacBook Air.
As I said. The OLED display will outlast them both.
Genuine question. What ports do we need on a portable computer? Personally, (and I don’t want to get in trouble for having my own opinion again because we all have different needs/wants), I just want a USB C on the right side of the MacBook Air. 2 on the left, 1 on the right. That’s it.
We all have different needs, and I don’t want a HDMI if I rarely plug it into a monitor when I am away from my desk. But I do bring a USB C to HDMI if I go on holiday and stay in a Hotel. I don’t want a SDXC Card slot, but if I carry my Fuji XT5 on holiday I bring a small dongle. I carry a cable pack for my watch, iPad, phone, so it’s no trouble either way. I pack my cables for the trip I am on, just like I would my car, or my clothes. A fast USB C does it all for me, and an extra one would be soooo handy for backing up images on to an external SSD.
No worries! As I said the idea was laughable… I just couldn’t tell you were joking 😁
I apologize for the pissy attitude.
It's the political climate that has me agitated.