Apple developing MicroLED tech at secret facility, likely to debut in Apple Watch
Apple is reportedly developing MicroLED screen technology at a secret engineering and manufacturing facility located 15 minutes from Apple Park, with the tech expected to debut in future devices as a potential replacement for OLED panels currently supplied by Samsung.

Apple's reported display facility in Santa Clara, Calif. | Source: Bloomberg
Located on a nondescript road minutes from Apple Park, the 62,000-square-foot facility houses about 300 engineers who are working on the next generation display technology as part of a project dubbed T159, Bloomberg reports.
The plant is sufficient enough for small scale manufacturing operations, allowing Apple to keep MicroLED engineering and testing in house through the development process, a source told the publication. The person added that the company invested "a lot of money" on the facility and supporting assets in efforts to retain proprietary technology as long as possible prior to mass manufacture.
Apple has a long history of developing components and engineering solutions in-house before seeding that information to manufacturing partners in Asia.
The company's A-series processors that power iPhone and iPad, as well as the S-series chips in Apple Watch, matured in Apple labs prior to being farmed out for production by TSMC and other fabricators. A MicroLED screen facility, however, is a first for Apple. The company hopes to keep the technology out of the wild for as long as possible, a strategy that should afford it a significant leg up on competitors, the report suggests.
Apple's plant produced its first Apple Watch-sized screen in late 2017, sources said, and is now capable of pumping out "a handful" of similar displays at a time.
Currently, Apple uses Samsung technology in the OLED panel for iPhone X, and LG technology for Apple Watch. T159 represents Apple's first attempt at owning the display stack top to bottom.
The new display technology, which is much more complex than that used to manufacture modern OLED panels, will allow devices to not only be brighter and less power-hungry, but slimmer as well. With more latitude afforded by an internally designed engineering process, Apple will also be able to fine tune display characteristics like color accuracy.
MicroLED is still years from making its way to consumers, the report said. When, or perhaps more accurately if, Apple continues down the MicroLED path, the panels will likely appear in Apple Watch before moving to iPhone. There is a precedent for this, as we saw with the OLED displays that graced Apple's wearable years prior to their integration in iPhone X.
Apple first showed interest in MicroLED with its purchase of segment specialist LuxVue in 2014. Rumors following the acquisition suggested MicroLED would arrive in a 2017 Apple Watch model, while later rumblings pushed back that timeline to 2018.
Today's report seemingly confirms rumors from late last year claiming Apple downsized its Taiwan-based display research and development project as it shifted focus to operations in the U.S.
In the meantime, Apple looks to be doubling-down on their investment in OLED, with at least two new OLED iPhone models rumored for introduction later this year. Alongside Samsung's OLED contributions, reports suggest LG will handle panel supply for a 6.5-inch "iPhone X Plus" after receiving a $2.5 billion shot in the arm from Apple.

Apple's reported display facility in Santa Clara, Calif. | Source: Bloomberg
Located on a nondescript road minutes from Apple Park, the 62,000-square-foot facility houses about 300 engineers who are working on the next generation display technology as part of a project dubbed T159, Bloomberg reports.
The plant is sufficient enough for small scale manufacturing operations, allowing Apple to keep MicroLED engineering and testing in house through the development process, a source told the publication. The person added that the company invested "a lot of money" on the facility and supporting assets in efforts to retain proprietary technology as long as possible prior to mass manufacture.
Apple has a long history of developing components and engineering solutions in-house before seeding that information to manufacturing partners in Asia.
The company's A-series processors that power iPhone and iPad, as well as the S-series chips in Apple Watch, matured in Apple labs prior to being farmed out for production by TSMC and other fabricators. A MicroLED screen facility, however, is a first for Apple. The company hopes to keep the technology out of the wild for as long as possible, a strategy that should afford it a significant leg up on competitors, the report suggests.
Apple's plant produced its first Apple Watch-sized screen in late 2017, sources said, and is now capable of pumping out "a handful" of similar displays at a time.
Currently, Apple uses Samsung technology in the OLED panel for iPhone X, and LG technology for Apple Watch. T159 represents Apple's first attempt at owning the display stack top to bottom.
The new display technology, which is much more complex than that used to manufacture modern OLED panels, will allow devices to not only be brighter and less power-hungry, but slimmer as well. With more latitude afforded by an internally designed engineering process, Apple will also be able to fine tune display characteristics like color accuracy.
MicroLED is still years from making its way to consumers, the report said. When, or perhaps more accurately if, Apple continues down the MicroLED path, the panels will likely appear in Apple Watch before moving to iPhone. There is a precedent for this, as we saw with the OLED displays that graced Apple's wearable years prior to their integration in iPhone X.
Apple first showed interest in MicroLED with its purchase of segment specialist LuxVue in 2014. Rumors following the acquisition suggested MicroLED would arrive in a 2017 Apple Watch model, while later rumblings pushed back that timeline to 2018.
Today's report seemingly confirms rumors from late last year claiming Apple downsized its Taiwan-based display research and development project as it shifted focus to operations in the U.S.
In the meantime, Apple looks to be doubling-down on their investment in OLED, with at least two new OLED iPhone models rumored for introduction later this year. Alongside Samsung's OLED contributions, reports suggest LG will handle panel supply for a 6.5-inch "iPhone X Plus" after receiving a $2.5 billion shot in the arm from Apple.
Comments
For even just microLED to be final manufacturing in the US it would have to be completely automated, but even then you'd still need to send all the displays to China for assembly.
The only reason the Mac Pro could do this was because it was low volume, and even then it was just final assembly and still delayed (the latter aspect may or may not have been because they assembled in the US).
PS: As an American I hope I'm dead wrong and that Apple can bring "the whole works" to the US for all their products from where they source minerals, who designs and build their machines that make their devices, etc., but I really don't see that ever happening.
https://m.phys.org/news/2018-03-quantum-dot-technology-superacid-treatment.html
The peaks and valleys of yearly demand for consumer electronics make it very tough for a company to run their own manufacturing plant. That is why manufacturing is typically handled by a contract manufacturer (CM), who builds for several (or many) companies. The CM can manage a more stable workforce over the year with multiple products from multiple companies. Of course, that is with a human workforce.
If Apple can achieve a true "lights out" factory (no line workers), then they can justify their own manufacturing plant virtually anywhere.
As Soli said above:
"For even just microLED to be final manufacturing in the US it would have to be completely automated..."
The question is though: WHY would they want to do that?
Will it produce a better product?
Will it produce a cheaper product?
One thing about Apple: The only ideology they believe is that making great products is the start and foundation of everything they do. For the rest, the tend to be very pragmatic: Whatever will provide them with that Great Product is what they will do and where they will go...
Compared to reflective displays (think the old GameBoy, most calculators, e-Ink Kindles, &c.) and transmissive displays (most computer LCDs, including those used in phones), micro LED displays are emissive. They create their own light as a part of how they operate. This gives them extremely deep black levels, since when a pixel is supposed to be black, you just don't turn it on.
Organic molecules have been easiest to arrange in patterns of different colors so far, but inorganic LED fabrication technology is rapidly reaching the point of feasibility. Moving to inorganic solves some of the issues with organic, but most issues with organic have been overblown, just like issues with flash storage.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2018/01/11/samsungs-micro-led-tv-first-impressions-146-inches-of-magnificent-weirdness/#65bcf6a37866
and we’re manufacturing more that we ever did. This is also something people don’t understand. We took a big hit in the Bush recession, but manufacturing has made a massive comeback, but it’s not politically correct to admit it, even though the manufacturing index shows it to be true. What we don’t make that much of is small consumer facing products that do need that large number of people, such as clothing. Cheap toys as well.