New Apple patent backs company's interest in micro-LED for future devices
An Apple patent application published on Tuesday backs the company's apparent interest in using micro-LED technology in future products, one possibility being the Apple Watch.
The application, discovered by AppleInsider, was most recently submitted in November 2015, but is a continuation of another application dating back to April that year. Titled Micro device with stabilization post, the document describes a away of stabilizing LEDs and microchips on a carrier substrate so they're able to be transferred to another substrate.
Notably the patent makes direct reference to LuxVue, a company specializing in micro-LED technology that Apple bought in 2014. One of the credited inventors -- Andreas Bibl -- was the CEO of that firm, and was recently credited on another Apple micro-LED patent involving wearable technology.
Both patents may support rumors that Apple is working on a micro-LED display for a future version of the Apple Watch, potentially shipping as soon as the second half of 2017.
That exact timeline may be unrealistic, since micro-LED has yet to feature in any shipping consumer products, and it's currently difficult to manufacture panels of any significant size. Cost is another factor, as even the OLED panels used for the first-generation Watch are more expensive than conventional LCDs -- Apple isn't expected to use OLED on iPhones until next year.
The application, discovered by AppleInsider, was most recently submitted in November 2015, but is a continuation of another application dating back to April that year. Titled Micro device with stabilization post, the document describes a away of stabilizing LEDs and microchips on a carrier substrate so they're able to be transferred to another substrate.
Notably the patent makes direct reference to LuxVue, a company specializing in micro-LED technology that Apple bought in 2014. One of the credited inventors -- Andreas Bibl -- was the CEO of that firm, and was recently credited on another Apple micro-LED patent involving wearable technology.
Both patents may support rumors that Apple is working on a micro-LED display for a future version of the Apple Watch, potentially shipping as soon as the second half of 2017.
That exact timeline may be unrealistic, since micro-LED has yet to feature in any shipping consumer products, and it's currently difficult to manufacture panels of any significant size. Cost is another factor, as even the OLED panels used for the first-generation Watch are more expensive than conventional LCDs -- Apple isn't expected to use OLED on iPhones until next year.
Comments
Initially, OLED screens were very small too (and leds too).
https://blog.sony.com/press/sony-redefines-high-end-visual-display-technology-with-a-new-canvas-for-creativity/
BTW, I saw the Sony Canvas 32' x 9' microLED display at InfoComm. It was pretty effin' awesome. Much better than the current crop of fine pitch LED out there now (which ain't half bad). Apple would do well to put one of them in their stores instead of the fine pitch LED -- assuming the Canvas becomes an actual shipping product.
I brought up the Sony example in response to wizard69 asking "why stop at the watch." Obviously, the Sony screen is an extreme example, far away from any mobile device, but I thought mentioning it injected an interesting perspective. And it is pretty amazing looking. BTW, Sony calls it "Crystal LED," which may be a variant of microLED.
Relatively speaking, for a 32' x 9' screen designed to be viewed at some distance, the resolution is quite high. The pixel pitch is about 1.2-1.5mm, the same as other fine-pitch LED on the market these days. For comparison, the typical outdoor LED billboard pitch is much larger, maybe 15-20mm (they are of course designed to be viewed from 100's of feet away).
Sony says the actual size of the light source is about .003 sq. mm, compared to ~1 sq. mm of other fine-pitch LED displays. I'm wondering if that is a typo because the pixel size of the current OLED Apple Watch is 0.087. If true, that makes the Sony "CLED" even smaller, and they were bright enough for a large format screen! So I'm thinking it is probably safe to say that microLED can achieve the desired density, or Apple would not have acquired Luxvue.