According to a fresh report obtained from The Korea Herald, Apple plans to maintain its reliance on Korean suppliers for device screens even as the company makes a major effort to develop its components to get greater control over the designs of its products.
Even though it is increasing its usage of in-house components and displays, the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) in Korea claims that Apple has emerged as a new player in the display market from a long-term viewpoint. This is according to Apple’s position as a new player in the display market.
For instance, Apple is rumored to be aiming to shift its products from OLED to microLED, beginning with the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024 or 2025, followed by iPhones, iPads, and eventually MacBooks. This change is expected to take place over the course of many years.
However, according to the IITP’s research, it could be quite some time until Apple fully commercializes its self-made display technology. According to the report, Apple will continue to buy at least 60 percent of its components from Korean display manufacturers such as Samsung Display and LG Display for the next several years. This is because developing microLED displays is still difficult, and manufacturing prices are higher.
According to the report, Apple is planning to save money by outsourcing the production of displays to Korean vendors in the next years. This will allow Apple to reduce the expenses necessary for mass production. Local display manufacturers could gain an advantage over their Chinese competitors if they can outsource the production of Apple’s microLEDs.
Several individuals, such as the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants Ross Young, the reporter for Bloomberg Mark Gurman, and the analyst for Haitong International Securities Jeff Pu, have all expressed their belief that Apple is working on a new Apple Watch Ultra that will have a microLED display. Gurman said that the switch to microLEDs may start as early as the end of 2024, but he also highlighted that the timeline could slide into 2025. Additionally, Young provided a timeline for 2025, which indicates that the technology may still be at least two years away.
During this time, Apple is still finishing the arduous shift from an LCD to an OLED display. Since its debut in 2015, the Apple Watch has been equipped with an OLED display. Beginning in 2017, all iPhone models began gradually transitioning to OLED displays. According to rumors, the first iPad Pro and MacBook models with OLED panels are expected to be delivered in 2024.
