According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to bring custom microLED displays to its products such as the iPhone, iPad, and Mac after the technology debuts in a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra, which is currently scheduled to launch by the end of 2024. This marks the first time that Apple has designed a display specifically for its products, similar to how it developed its own Apple silicon.
Apple reportedly began its microLED project, codenamed T159, around 2017 with the goal of improving the brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles of its displays, making images appear more like they are “painted” on top of the glass. This technology would also allow Apple to replace parts currently supplied by companies like Samsung and LG.
Gurman expects that after debuting in the 2024 Apple Watch Ultra, Apple’s custom microLED displays will expand to the iPhone, potentially followed by the iPad and the Mac at a later date. He believes that Apple’s long-term plan is to bring microLED displays to all of its key products, but it could be a decade before it emerges in the Mac due to the complexity of the technology at this early stage. For comparison, Gurman noted that the iPhone will have had OLED displays for over six years by the time they are expected to come to the iPad.
Overall, Apple’s move towards microLED technology is an exciting development for the company and its customers. The improved brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles that microLED displays offer are sure to enhance the user experience for Apple’s products. However, it may be a while before we see the technology in all of Apple’s products, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye out for in the future.
