The list of things that Apple want to make in-house is growing pretty rapidly. Starting with its own M1 chip from back in 2020, there have been reports of the company making its own all-in-one wireless comms chip as well. Adding to that, according to another Bloomberg report, is the iPhone maker making its own displays.
The report cites insiders who claim that Apple is planning to use its own custom displays in mobile devices as soon as 2024. This new screen will feature what is called microLED, and it will first show up on high end Apple Watches. The report also notes that “the company has begun testing this new microLED displays on an update to the Apple Watch Ultra“. Other mobile devices like iPhones will be getting it later, according to the report.
Being the company’s first in-house designed and made screen, the report notes the possibility if Apple offering a “limited supply of the new devices to get the transition started”. That or its initial target of shipping devices with the new microLED tech could in 2024 could slip into the year after. Efforts to switch to this new display tech reportedly started all the way back in 2018, with an initial goal of releasing the first product featuring it in 2020. That fell through “due to high costs and technical challenges”, leading to the current goal of 2024.
When it happens, it would mark a major reduction of Apple buying screens for its mobile devices from rival Samsung, as well as LG. That being said, the fruit company will still be relying on an outside suppler to handle the mass production of these microLED displays.
(Source: Bloomberg)
