OLED Touch Bar, controlling circuit in new MacBook Pro from Samsung - report
Recent reports peg Samsung as the supplier of the new MacBook Pro's OLED Touch Bar, while Apple is said to be examining the same display technology for future screens across both Mac notebooks and the iPhone.
According to the South Korean ETnews, the Touch Bar is an OLED panel from the Samsung Display A2 line, specifically selected due to being thinner than a conventional LED counterpart. The control integrated circuit is reportedly supplied from Samsung Electronics' System LSI Business Department.
Confirmation of the supplier of the component will have to wait on a tear-down, but given that Samsung is the primary supplier of the world's OLED displays, the report seems likely.
OLED technology is best suited for mobile devices, given that black pixels draw no power from the system.
As early as March, rumors started circulating that Apple was looking at the OLED technology for future iPhones, with it possibly limited to the high-end only because of possible supply constraints.
In late September, a report claimed that Sharp was investing more than half a billlion dollars in OLED technology, and was in active talks with Apple to supply OLED displays for a future iPhone.
Most recently, newly appointed CEO Tai Jeng-wu of Japanese display maker Sharp seemingly confirmed widespread rumors claiming Apple plans to incorporate OLED panels in a next-generation iPhone. The executive spoke on Apple's future plans in an address at his alma mater Tatung University, calling the migration an "opportunity" for Apple and Sharp.
For the latest prices and savings on 2016 MacBook Pros with and without a Touch Bar, please visit our Mac Price Guide.
According to the South Korean ETnews, the Touch Bar is an OLED panel from the Samsung Display A2 line, specifically selected due to being thinner than a conventional LED counterpart. The control integrated circuit is reportedly supplied from Samsung Electronics' System LSI Business Department.
Confirmation of the supplier of the component will have to wait on a tear-down, but given that Samsung is the primary supplier of the world's OLED displays, the report seems likely.
OLED technology is best suited for mobile devices, given that black pixels draw no power from the system.
The latest in a long chain of rumors
Apple currently only uses OLED screens on the Apple Watch, but rumors have speculated that the company has been examining the technology for the iPhone for some time -- but Samsung may not end up being the supplier.As early as March, rumors started circulating that Apple was looking at the OLED technology for future iPhones, with it possibly limited to the high-end only because of possible supply constraints.
In late September, a report claimed that Sharp was investing more than half a billlion dollars in OLED technology, and was in active talks with Apple to supply OLED displays for a future iPhone.
Most recently, newly appointed CEO Tai Jeng-wu of Japanese display maker Sharp seemingly confirmed widespread rumors claiming Apple plans to incorporate OLED panels in a next-generation iPhone. The executive spoke on Apple's future plans in an address at his alma mater Tatung University, calling the migration an "opportunity" for Apple and Sharp.
For the latest prices and savings on 2016 MacBook Pros with and without a Touch Bar, please visit our Mac Price Guide.
Comments
PS: What I did find surprising is the teardown of the new MBP using a sideways-attached SSD that uses a controller designed by Apple, not Samsung or Toshiba. Step 11 on iFixit's teardown.
The SSD controller has been custom designed to help alleviate the RAM constraints by using part of the SSD as slow RAM.
Apple bought a company a few years ago (can't remember the name but I think it was based in Israel) that specialised in hardware and software for increasing the lifetime of SSDs. Might have something to do with that.
Always a good resource:
Unlike their Note 7 issues, which may or may not have been from a Samsung supplier as they say they aren't sure why those phones had issues, Apple buying a chip or display from Samsung can go through an extensive testing suite that will allow Apple to make a determination long before there is every a finalized product.
Personally, I'm more wary of the GPUs Apple sources from Nvidia and AMD as they too frequently seem to have issues after several years of use.
Does Samsung make laptops? If so, we should expect them to have a Touch Bar running Tizen in 3... 2... 1.....
edit: They still do. They even have models with the trackpad that is off center with the case but centered for the space bar. Is there anyone that prefers that setup?