In recent years, more and more rumors have surfaced that Apple was busy developing its own microLED screens for their products. The first device would be the Apple Watch Ultra, but according to… sources to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Apple has stopped development.
Previously it became clear that Apple had plans to release products that included their own MicroLED display. By developing its own components, Apple can sideline other manufacturers, but producing their own microLED display was apparently too difficult.
Development of Apple microLED stopped
According to previous rumors, Apple has been exploring switching from OLED to custom microLED displays since at least 2016. The goal was to design and produce their own displays, leaving competitors like LG and Samsung out of the picture. The first microLED display would be for the Apple Watch, but alas. Apple no longer plans to design and produce its own screens for the Apple Watch.
The cause would be production, which would be so complex that not enough copies of reliable quality could be made.
According to Mark Gurman, the cancellation of the research and development project will result in dozens of job losses within Apple’s display division. However, he adds that the company will continue to invest in microLED technology for future products, but that won’t be in the short term. Apple may only resume this when microLED becomes more of the standard, as OLED is now.
Apple’s own displays
At the moment, Apple is still very dependent on LG and Samsung when it comes to screens. Apple has been using custom displays from these manufacturers for years.
Of course, Apple is in control in terms of specifications, but LG and Samsung are responsible for production, raw materials and delivery. This makes Apple very dependent on these companies and can cost a lot of money.
According to various sources, the situation will change in the future. Apple would like to introduce the first device with a self-designed and produced Apple display with MicroLED. Only with today’s knowledge, this could take a very long time.
microLED will be the future
Looking at OLED screens, the Apple Watch was the first device to support this screen technology, followed by the iPhone. MicroLED is the successor to OLED and has a higher image quality.
Just like OLED, a MicroLED screen does not require a backlight and the pixels each emit their own light to form an image. This provides higher contrast, deep black color, higher brightness, sharper image quality and an improved viewing angle.
The disadvantage of OLED is that the quality and brightness of the screen decreases over time and there is a risk of burn-in. This problem is not present with a MicroLED screen because no natural raw materials are used, but gallium nitride.
Finally, there is another advantage for MicroLED screens, they are more energy efficient than OLED. Because gallium nitride is a semiconductor and it makes the pixels burn brighter, the brightness of the screen can be reduced, so that you still get good image quality. This makes the screen more energy efficient and the battery life lasts longer.
Expectation of microLED in Apple devices
The rumors say that Apple has stopped developing their own Apple display with microLED, but this does not mean that Apple will not use microLED in the future. Apple may add this type of display to their products, but then it will be purchased from LG and Samsung, among others, just as is currently the case with LCD and OLED. It is still unclear when.