Apple remains committed to developing the Apple Watch Ultra with MicroLED technology by seeking new suppliers.
Apple remains committed to microLED technology, despite suggestions that its project to implement the display technology in the Apple Watch Ultra has been abandoned, according to reports from Taiwan and Korea.
Last week, Apple's supplier, OSRAM, announced that a "critical project" was cancelled "unexpectedly". Counterpoint Research's Display Supply Chain Consultants informed MacRumors that this project involved the famous Apple Watch with a microLED display.
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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo later weighed in on the matter, saying that Apple has cancelled the project for the "foreseeable future".
Instead of agreeing with this narrative, the DigiTimes and ETNews report that Apple still has several internal teams dedicated to microLED projects and is actively seeking alternative suppliers. ETNews stated: "OSRAM's LED chip may have been replaced due to reduced performance, and Apple may have already found a replacement in Taiwan or China, which is leading the way in the microLED sector."
According to DigiTimes, Taiwan AU Optronics (AUO) and PlayNitride are reported to be among the upfront candidates to meet Apple's manufacturing needs. AUO has just started mass production of microLED clock display panels, while PlayNitride is mass producing related chips.
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The discussions between the Apple and PlayNitride appear to have been delayed due to scale constraints, but AUO emerged as a "promising partner" with its advances in microLED display applications.
The reports are in line with comments made by TrendForce, which previously said that Taiwan and South Korea have "a strong list of manufacturers for Micro LED chips, backplanes, and related transfer processes."
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Kuo previously said that microLED production costs are currently "too high" for the Apple Watch Ultra project to be "economically viable." However, according to sources of the industry reported by DigiTimes, high production costs of early microLEDs remain within expectations.
"Based on Apple's record of growth, the high costs associated with leading-edge technologies are typically manageable and can be addressed in terms of scaling production," the report said. "However, the main challenge remains in overcoming the associated technology barriers."
These obstacles are reported to include the absence of circuit control design within the LEDs, potentially increasing the risk of damage to the LED chips. "In addition, the seal technology solution is not sufficient to achieve accurate transfer, especially when interacting with Osram's vertical chips," according to DigiTimes.
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The main conclusion from today's reports is that Apple probably still hopes to switch to microLED in the future, but Apple Watch Ultra may not necessarily be the first product to adopt the technology. According to a separate report today from The Elec, Apple may instead decide to prioritize microLED technology for future, lighter versions of the Apple Vision Pro, while it waits for the cost of implementation on the watch to decrease.
Source of information: macrumors.com
