Apple has reportedly announced plans to start using proprietary custom displays in its new mobile devices starting in XNUMX, in an attempt to reduce reliance on partner component manufacturers such as Samsung and LG.
Bloomberg's resident Apple specialist Mark Gurman (opens in a new tab) says Apple is preparing to transition its wearable products from OLED to micro-LED, with a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra that will become a the first successful bidder for the emerging flat devices. dashboard display technology. "Other devices, including the iPhone" will follow in the Ultra's footsteps, though Gurman notes that the changeover will take multiple years.
Supposedly, Apple has already worked out a workable design for its in-house micro-LED displays, though the company isn't supposed to come up with the displays itself. That responsibility probably falls on TSMC, which currently makes Apple-designed processors and GPUs for a variety of Apple products, including the best iPhones and the best iPads.
Micro-LED is an outrageously expensive, partially new display technology that combines the high brightness of mini-LED with the endlessly deep blacks of OLED. In micro-LED displays, 3 dwarf (read: microscopic) non-organic LEDs are housed in each and every pixel, allowing for more color cast between neighboring pixels.
According to the Gurman report: "The next generation is designed to deliver brighter, more vibrant colors and the ability to be seen better from one angle. The displays make content look like it's painted on glass, according to people who viewed them, who asked not to be identified by the fact that the project is still secret.
In other words, the next Apple Watch Ultra (and future iPhones, by the way) is going to be extraordinarily shiny, though of course that also means its price will likely inflate, further complicating sales. for routine users. . .
Given Apple's reported commitment to developing in-house micro-LED displays, we can't help but speculate about the possibility of seeing a full Apple TV (no, not the streaming service) arrive in the near future as well. Even Samsung hasn't been able to bring micro-LED display technology to the mainstream market yet, so there's still a ways to go on that front, but the sheer idea of an Apple-branded micro-LED TV excites us. the future of home entertainment.