Apple is working with TSMC to develop ultra-thin and energy-efficient micro-OLED screens for its upcoming augmented reality devices, Nikkei Asia is reporting. The R&D project is reportedly in a trial production stage and focuses on exhibits smaller than one centimeter in size and a few years away from commercialization. It is also said that Apple is developing MicroLED screens in the same Apple lab in Taiwan.
According to Nikkei, the micro-OLED screens being developed can be so thin and compact because they are built directly on chipboards, rather than glass like traditional OLED or LCD screens. The news about the project follows reports that Apple is developing both VR and AR headsets. It could already release its first VR headset (code name N301) next year, while lighter AR glasses (code name N421) could follow in 2023. N301 allegedly has two 8K screens and an exterior of material to reduce weight. , while future headsets could eventually use this new panel technology to become slimmer and lighter.
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As well as working on micro-OLEDs, Nikkei reports that Apple is also working on the same secret lab in Taiwan on MicroLED display technology. These self-emitting panels, which use miniature LEDs to remove the need for a traditional backlight, can eventually end up in devices like the Apple Watch, iPad and MacBooks. Samsung is already selling a MicroLED TV called The Wall, though the technology is far from affordable.
As a side note: micro OLED and MicroLED differ from Mini-LED, which uses a variety of LEDs as a backdrop behind a more traditional LCD screen. Mini-LED technology is already available in TVs from people like TCL, and Apple is apparently also working to bring it to devices like iPads and MacBooks in the not too distant future.
According to Nikkei, Apple’s R & D efforts are an attempt to reduce the reliance on other companies, such as Samsung, to deliver their displays. The iPhone 12’s OLED screen is suspected to be the second most expensive third-party component behind its Qualcomm 5G modem. While Apple may use these technologies in its products, they can also only do work to acquire technology patents, giving more control over this next-generation technology. Nikkei notes.
Apple is not the only company developing these display technologies. Sony Semiconductor Solutions has developed micro-OLED screens for AR and VR headsets, while a partnership of BOE, Yunnan North OLiGHTEK Opto-Electronic Technology and Kopin are also collaborating on the technology. Meanwhile, Samusung, BOE and San’an Opto-electronics are also working on the commercialization of MicroLED screens.