Apple has considered making displays for its own smartwatches – but only briefly, and with no lasting outcome.
Apple Watch Series 5 – illustrative photo. Image credit: Simon Daoudi via Unsplash, free license
According to Bloomberg News, Apple has decided to abandon its efforts to internally design and create smartwatch displays. The decision to halt the project was reportedly driven by the substantial expenses and technical intricacies involved.
Consequently, the company is said to be restructuring the teams responsible for display engineering and is reducing its workforce by eliminating several dozen positions in both the United States and Asia.
The decision to halt the display project coincided with Apple’s move to discontinue its efforts in developing a self-driving car.
The display project was part of Apple’s broader strategy to increase its in-house technology development. While the second-most valuable venture already tailors displays in its products, these displays largely rely on designs from partners such as LG Display Co. and Samsung SDI Co. By internalizing more of the display manufacturing process, Apple aimed to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals.
MicroLED technology, composed of millions of microscopic light-emitting diodes, held particular promise for Apple. It consumes less power, delivers more accurate color reproduction, and enables thinner devices.
The initiative began approximately seven years ago within Apple’s hardware engineering division. Codenamed T159, the project migrated to the company’s hardware technologies division several years ago.
To support its microLED efforts, Apple established a screen manufacturing facility in Santa Clara, California, near its Cupertino headquarters.
Initially, the developer aimed to integrate microLED screens into the Apple Watch as early as 2020. However, multiple delays pushed the timeline to 2024, and subsequently, to 2025 and beyond, mirroring the setbacks faced in Apple’s electric car project. Despite Apple’s ownership of the microLED design and manufacturing process, challenges in mass production persisted. LED transfers, a crucial step in the manufacturing process, posed significant hurdles.
Presently, the company views OLED as the optimal solution for its smartwatches. However, microLED remains a future consideration for other projects. The company continues to explore potential suppliers and processes that could facilitate the integration of microLED technology into its devices, although this is unlikely to occur in the near term.
Written by Alius Noreika