OLED for the MacBook: Apple allegedly pushes back the schedule
Apple has equipped its iPad Pro with organic light-emitting diodes for the first time in 2024.
People with a MacBook Air 15.
(Image: Apple)
The rumor mill has been buzzing for years that Apple would one day like to install OLED screens in its MacBooks. However, the company has not yet succeeded – for unknown reasons. Apparently, this will remain the case for quite some time, if a report in a South Korean electronics trade journal is to be believed. According to the report, the first MacBook Air with a screen made of organic light-emitting diodes is not expected for another four years.
Oxide TFTs as a "stopgap"
Apple has currently been using OLEDs in the iPhone – since the iPhone X from 2017. In May 2024, the technology then reached the iPad Pro – for the first time with the M4 variant, making the Pad Pro M4 the thinnest Apple hardware of all time thanks to OLED. As The Elec reports, Apple is now working on improving its LCD technology for the MacBook Air. Newer oxide thin-film transistor components (oxide TFTs) are to be installed. Work on this has been underway since the end of 2024, but this technology is also not expected before 2027.
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The new panels will reportedly come from LG as the main supplier, but Sharp is also conceivable.oxide TFTs promise a higher contrast rate, more even illumination and improved color reproduction, among other things. They should also be less power-hungry and therefore save electricity. This is why the technology is to be used as a "stopgap". One of the reasons why Apple is postponing the use of OLED is allegedly the comparatively poor sales of the iPad Pro M4. The company had expected to sell 10 million units of the OLED models, but only achieved 6 million. This was also due to the high price compared to the previous LCD iPad.
OLED plan already with a long horizon anyway
The Elec also writes, citing "industry insiders", that Apple last planned a MacBook Pro with OLED for 2026. The MacBook Air with this screen was then due to appear "around 2027". Development has now been slowed down. "We can currently expect the MacBook Air with OLED to come onto the market around 2029." What this means for the MacBook Pro remains unclear, but a postponement of another two years sounds quite excessive.
However, the date could remain the same. Apple's OLED for the MacBook Air is supposed to consist of a single layer (single stack), while the one for the MacBook Pro consists of two (tandem). This ensures a better light yield. The manufacturer for the latter variant will allegedly be Samsung – with an exclusive contract.
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