Apple is designing its own in-house display technology in a secret facility in Santa Clara, California. The company is currently testing MicroLED technology; which seems to be intended to replace the use of OLED displays in the current generation of mobile devices.
Designing electronic components is nothing new for Apple, which already works on its own line of processors for the iPhone, iPad, and Watch. It’s understood that the upcoming in-house MicroLED panels will follow the same pattern. With the company working on the technology, but contracting the actual manufacturing out to third parties.
In this case, MicroLEDs are an attractive choice due to the technology allowing for displays brighter than OLEDs can manage. It also allows for a greater amount of control over colour reproduction and contrast.
Apple has already managed to build MicroLED displays for the Apple Watch, albeit in a proof-of-concept kind of way. The display isn’t actually wearable, and instead is connected to an external computer board.
That said, actually producing these types of displays is a highly difficult process. Apple is said to have been on the verge of axing the project a year ago, but managed to work through the problems. Mass production of the panels may still be several years away.
[Source: Bloomberg]
