Question 👑Apple: The OLED Roadmap👑

[FlameTail]

Apple will launch the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro in 2024.

Apple will launch an 8.3-inch OLED iPad mini tablet PC in 2026 and a 10.8-inch OLED iPad Air tablet PC with an LTPS backplane and single-structure RGB OLED in 2027. Omdia estimates that BOE plans to produce these panels in its newly built flexible OLED Gen 8.6 fab in 2027. Samsung Display will manufacture these panels in its existing Gen 6 flexible OLED fab. It is unsure whether LG Display will be the panel supplier.

Apple will develop 13.6- and 15.3-inch hybrid OLED (oxide TFT/RGB tandem) displays for its MacBook Pro notebooks to replace the existing Mini LED backlight versions, targeting mass production in 2026. Omdia estimates that BOE plans to produce these panels in its newly built flexible LTPS backplane OLED Gen 8.6 fab in 2027. Samsung Display will supply the panel from its newly built oxide backplane Gen 8.6 flexible OLED fab. It remains unsure whether LG Display will be the panel supplier.

Apple is considering equipping the MacBook Air with OLED displays with an LTPS backplane and single-structure RGB. However, this decision will depend on the marketing situation of the MacBook Pro with OLED in 2026. If it is deemed meaningful to shift the MacBook Air from LCD to OLED, it will happen no earlier than 2027. The OLED MacBook Air will have a 60Hz frame rate, which is a lower specification than the MacBook Pro’s, and it will be aimed at the consumer market. BOE may be the panel supplier if Apple launched the MacBook Air with OLED. This is because Samsung Display’s Gen 8.6 fab capacity is geared towards the MacBook Pro OLED. LG Display may not be the supplier of the MacBook Air OLED and instead focus its Gen 6 OLED capacity on the iPad Pro OLED.

There is a possibility that Apple will introduce a 20.3-inch foldable OLED with an LTPO backplane and tandem RGB OLED structure in 2027 and beyond. The product is still in the conceptual stage.

Source:

https://omdia.tech.informa.com/blogs/2024/feb/apples-new-oled-it-roadmap-can-help-boost-oled-penetration-rate-in-the-mobile-pc-market-to-14-by-2028

Eventually, it seems all iPads and Macbooks will adopt OLED.

The various OLED technologies such as oxide backplane, TFE, Dual-stack Tandem, LTPS, etc.. mentioned in the Omdia report are worth discussing, as they will also reflect what path other OEMs will take in adopting OLED to their laptops.

 

[FlameTail]

OLED Substrates: Flexible vs Rigid vs Hybrid

OLED Backplanes: LTPS vs LTPO vs Oxide

 

[Mopetar]

Apple has almost always been about what technology can be delivered in high enough volume for their product lines. They also don't like to o'clock themselves in to a single supplier if they can help it either.

In the past they have been willing to make large upfront payments that almost act as an investment to allow other companies to scale up their own production capacity, but a lot of that was when Apple was themselves selling far fewer units.

Other OEMs can put out a more limited run of product and those companies know that not every one of their products needs to have some special type of OLED.

 

[FlameTail]

Apple has almost always been about what technology can be delivered in high enough volume for their product lines. They also don't like to o'clock themselves in to a single supplier if they can help it either.

In the past they have been willing to make large upfront payments that almost act as an investment to allow other companies to scale up their own production capacity, but a lot of that was when Apple was themselves selling far fewer units.

Other OEMs can put out a more limited run of product and those companies know that not every one of their products needs to have some special type of OLED.

Apple ships huge volume of products. The iPads are the world's most popular tablets. The Macbooks also command a substantial volume, and Apple is going to switch both the Pro and Air to OLED. In addition, unlike most Windows OEMs, the OLED display will be the default option, not an option.

So what these means is, with Apple converting their iPads/Macbooks to OLEDs, it's going to massively turbocharge the 10-16" OLED production in the display industry.

 

[Apokalupt0]

OLED Substrates: Flexible vs Rigid vs Hybrid

OLED Backplanes: LTPS vs LTPO vs Oxide

LTPO is the oxide backplane?

 

[FlameTail]

LTPO is the oxide backplane?

LTPO stands for Low Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide

It seems "LTPO" and just "Oxide" are different things.

 

[Eug]

Sounds like informed speculation. Anyhow, rumour has it that BOE tried but failed to meet Apple’s quality metrics for dual-stack tandem OLED the last time around, hence they are not a supplier for these screens for Apple this year. Hopefully they’ve tightened up their manufacturing standards since then.