Report confirms Sharp pouring $878M into in OLED production ahead of 'iPhone 8'
Sources familiar with the matter have confirmed that Sharp is investing 1 trillion yen into OLED screen production, more than a month after reports circulated that it was planning to do so.
According to The Wall Street Journal, sources familiar with the matter confirmed the giant OLED investment which was first reported in early January. The deal looks to be aimed squarely at selling the screens to Apple, as the investment will be centered on production at Foxconn's Zengzhou facility.
The investment is notably larger than the $568 million bet on OLED Sharp has originally announced in September 2016.
Foxconn is already Apple's main assembly partner, but an investment this late in the game probably won't produce screens in time for a September OLED iPhone launch in any quantity. The first OLED-equipped iPhones are expected to ship in 2017, using Samsung-made panels.
Apple is believed to be working on three iPhone models for this fall. The model likely to shift to OLED, the "iPhone 8," may boast a curved display with a glass back, some form of wireless charging, a 3d facial recognition sensor.
An oft-rumored features of the "iPhone 8" includes the FaceTime camera, earpiece and Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded beneath the display -- a move which would be facilitated by the flexible and thin OLED screen technology.
According to The Wall Street Journal, sources familiar with the matter confirmed the giant OLED investment which was first reported in early January. The deal looks to be aimed squarely at selling the screens to Apple, as the investment will be centered on production at Foxconn's Zengzhou facility.
The investment is notably larger than the $568 million bet on OLED Sharp has originally announced in September 2016.
Foxconn is already Apple's main assembly partner, but an investment this late in the game probably won't produce screens in time for a September OLED iPhone launch in any quantity. The first OLED-equipped iPhones are expected to ship in 2017, using Samsung-made panels.
Apple is believed to be working on three iPhone models for this fall. The model likely to shift to OLED, the "iPhone 8," may boast a curved display with a glass back, some form of wireless charging, a 3d facial recognition sensor.
An oft-rumored features of the "iPhone 8" includes the FaceTime camera, earpiece and Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded beneath the display -- a move which would be facilitated by the flexible and thin OLED screen technology.
Comments
While the others are getting started, Samsung is now working on raising efficiencies and lowering costs of production. Samsung will continue to offer the best combination of lowest cost and high quality panels for some time. They make outstanding components. Unless Foxconn is willing to take losses on their upcoming panels, Samsung will be getting Apple's business for a long time. And Cook would be smart to do so. It will keep OLED panel prices higher for the rest of the market. Such that the Pixel from Google will be seriously disadvantaged.
How many OLED rumours have we had now over the years?
How many have come to fruition?
It just goes to show that Apple isn't interested in OLED because it is a crap technology. If it actually lived up to its tech specs don't you think that Apple would be using it by now? Instead Apple keeps going back to a different screen technology.
I've used all manner of phones with OLED and they certainly have NOT lived up to the hype. Frankly I don't see why these rumours keep persisting other than to prop up OLED manufacturers' stocks.
Maybe Apple finally solved some of the issues around it. In the end, they often aren't first to market, but when they launch, it's usually pretty solid. So I kind of accepted it as a given (as much as rumors can do this) that at least one version to be released soon will carry OLED tech.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/07/27/apple-owned-micro-led-display-technology-earns-high-praise-seen-as-potential-oled-replacement
Or maybe Apple works with Sony. Or both Sony and LuxVue technology?
http://www.ledinside.com/news/2016/11/can_micro_led_challenge_lcd_and_oled_market_position
The problem with OLED is while the blacks might look nice the battery consumption is pathetic. So you've got a screen that has great blacks and is thinner but has poor colour accuracy and colour degradation over time all while sucking the life out of your battery. OLED therefore IS crap technology for phones and I can't see Apple using them any time too soon. It is therefore true that in the case of a phone LEDs are better than OLED and it's this context that my comments hold true because the article was about the iPhone 8 not TVs or monitors.