14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has just launched the first OLED iPhone model in history, the iPhone X, and the company is already planning the next big display upgrade for its smartphone.
The firm has reportedly completed an important stage of the development process for microLED display technology that would be used on the Apple Watch and the iPhone, with the company now working with TSMC on the project.
A report from DigiTimes reveals that Apple has reduced the R&D team working on microLED in Taiwan, though it seems that the company actually experienced some roadblocks in the form of “mass transfer of microLED chips onto receiver substrates.”
Furthermore, the source says, Apple wasn’t satisfied with how the project advanced in Taiwan, with signs that volume production of microLED panels wouldn’t reach desired levels, so what the company decided to do was transfer part of the project to the United States and work with TSMC on a way to deal with the manufacturing issues that might impact the technology.
The simple fact that Apple is already looking into volume production is a sign that the project is in an advanced phase, and it’s believed that the technology giant has already completed trial production of the new display earlier this year.
Project now switched to the US
Apple has already experienced issues with new display technology in the case of the iPhone X, as Samsung, believed to be the supplier of the OLED screen, started production late due to Cupertino’s struggle to embed the fingerprint sensor into the glass. The notch at the top of the screen also raised particular challenges for display manufacturing due to its complex nature, in the end contributing to the delay that has been affected the iPhone X.
But Apple apparently wants to tackle all these issues with microLED displays early and using TSMC’s know-how, the firm seeks to “develop applications based on silicon-based backplanes (silicon wafer),” which should help address some of the challenges that have been experienced in Taiwan.
There’s no doubt it could take some time until microLED display tech makes it to the iPhone, but Apple already seems to be ready to make the switch. The company purchased LuxVue, a firm that has a long experience in the microLED market, in 2014, so Apple has looked into bringing this tech to its devices for at least three years already.