Apple eyewear displays are expected to be micro OLED, says a new report today. Not to be confused with microLED, micro OLED is an advanced form of display technology that is built directly into chip inserts and is ideal for very small monitors that are likely to be used in Apple’s augmented reality glasses.
Cupertino has reportedly been working on the project with the A series chip maker TSMC under conditions of secrecy that are extreme even by Apple standards …
Although the Cupertino company reportedly plans to launch a next-generation VR / AR headset first, it is believed to be just a stepping stone towards a mass-consumer product that has been dubbed Apple glasses. It is expected to be a device very similar to conventional glasses, but with small integrated monitors to overlay information such as map directions, messages, application notifications and so on.
Nikkei cites its own sources for the report.
Apple partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to develop ultra-advanced display technology at a secret facility in Taiwan, Nikkei Asia learned […]
The Apple complex at Longtan Science Park consists of several unmarked white buildings – there is no company logo or address on the outside, and only a very faint apple symbol can be seen in the lobby, Nikkei reporters saw on a recent visit. Apple registered a company in the park in 2014 and expanded it in 2020. The complex is within walking distance of TSMC’s advanced chip testing and packaging plant, located in the same science park […]
The California tech giant plans to develop micro OLED screens – a radically different type of screen built directly on chip wafers – with the ultimate goal of using the new technology in its next augmented reality devices, informed sources said.
Apple is collaborating with its long-time chip supplier, TSMC, because micro OLED screens are not built on glass substrates like conventional LCD screens on smartphones and TVs, or OLED screens used on high-end smartphones. Instead, these new monitors are built directly on wafers – the substrates on which semiconductors are made – allowing screens that are much thinner and smaller and use less energy, making them more suitable for use in wearable AR devices, according with sources familiar with the projects.
Although micro OLED is a different technology than microLED, Apple is said to be working on both types of screens in the same installation.
Apple’s other display project on the Longtan campus focuses on micro LED technology, which the company hopes to use on Apple Watch, iPads and MacBooks. Apple partnered with Taiwanese LED company Epistar to co-develop the technology.
Like micro OLEDs, the micro LED design also involves some chip-making technology. The components are 100 times smaller than those used in LED lighting products and do not require backlight modules like traditional LEDs and LCDs, which means that the screen can be much thinner. Micro LEDs also provide high color contrast and can be used to make curved or foldable screens, similar to OLED screens.
The report says that Apple’s eyeglass display project “is now in the test production phase”, designed to ensure that any mass production plans are realistic. It is important to note that, although it is an important milestone along the way, it still represents an early stage of the project as a whole. The test production here is related to the Apple Glasses monitors, not the AR devices themselves.
Today’s report says that the built-in monitors will be less than an inch in size and that Apple is taking confidentiality even more seriously than usual.
Anyone who signs up to work on the program must sign a strict non-disclosure agreement that prohibits them from even meeting with friends or acquaintances working in the technology industry, the source added.
Concept image: Antonio De Rosa
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