Apple’s switch to micro-LED could take a decade to reach every product

Apple’s transition to micro-LED display technology is in the early stages, but the company has ambitious plans for the future. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple’s current plan is to bring micro-LED to all of its products, but it “could be a decade” before it hits the Mac lineup.

Apple’s ambitious micro-LED plans

As a refresher, we’ve heard quite a bit over the last week about Apple’s plans to overhaul the display technology used in its products. In conjunction with a switch to micro-LED, Apple is also planning to start creating its own displays in-house, rather than solely relying on outside partners like Samsung and LG.

The transition is expected to start with the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024, but Apple’s plans unsurprisingly extend well beyond that. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman points out that Apple eventually hopes to bring micro-LED technology to its entire lineup of iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices.

micro-LED, however, is still such a “nascent and complicated” technology that we’re likely a decade away from this happening:

I think the plan is for Apple to bring microLED to all its products, from iPhones to iPads to Macs. But the technology is still so nascent and complicated that it could be a decade before we see it in a Mac. Don’t forget how long these transitions can take: The iPhone had OLED screens six years before the iPad is expected to get them.

micro-LED offers a range of benefits over mini-LED and OLED displays, including improved brightness, more vivid colors, and better viewing angles. With Apple also transitioning to in-house displays, we also expect strong improvements in efficiency and overall integration with Apple devices.

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