Like rumors about Apple’s augmented reality efforts a new report claims that Apple has a partnership with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. had to develop and manufacture sophisticated micro-OLED screens for use in a future AR headset.
According to Nikkei AsiaApple is deepening its relationship with TSMC – the manufacturer responsible for producing the A-Series and M-Series chips used in new iPhones and Macs – to manufacture micro-OLED screens designed for use in AR devices.
A source with information about Apple’s micro-OLED efforts told Nikkei Asia that the reason why Apple chose TSMC over a traditional display manufacturer like Samsung or LG, because ‘panel players are good at making screens bigger and bigger, but when it comes to thin and light devices like AR glasses, you need a very small screen. Apple is working with TSMC to develop the technology because the disc maker’s expertise makes things very small and good, while Apple also uses the expertise of panel experts in the field of display technologies. ”
It TSMC appears to be manufacturing some of its existing chips to begin early production at these exhibitions while expanding additional production lines with Apple, which owns a research laboratory in Taoyuan, Taiwan (only minutes away from TSMC’s advanced disk packing and testing facility).
The Nikkei Asia source claims Apple’s micro-OLED project has now reached the trial production stage, with a few more years of full mass production. This would indicate that despite rumors claiming that Apple may release some kind of AR headset by the end of 2021 or 2202 Apple’s big push in AR / VR will only take place closer to 2023 or later.
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In terms of AR devices, micro-OLED is seen as one of the next major leaps in technology of the OLED and LCD screens used in current devices. The great advantage of micro OLED is that diodes can be built directly on top of silicon wafers, instead of requiring an additional substrate of glass or plastic, which allows the decrease in thickness and increased energy efficiency.
However, it appears that Apple is still trying to determine its final form‘s ultimate AR headphones. Reccentric reports claims Apple is testing several designs for separate AR and VR glasses, with the latter possible to include dual 8K screens.
Before Apple can release a headset for the masses, its technology must first be figured out, which is apparently exactly what Apple is doing by strengthening its partnership with TSMC.