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.

9 Comments

wizard69 13358 comments · 21 Years

About 8 years ago

Sounds good but why stop at the watch?

foggyhill 4767 comments · 10 Years

wizard69 said:

Sounds good but why stop at the watch?

Because for now, that's the only realistic one because of costs (due to low yields).
Initially, OLED screens were very small too (and leds too).

daven 718 comments · 16 Years

What advantages does micro LED have over OLED?

adrayven 460 comments · 12 Years

daven said:

What advantages does micro LED have over OLED?

Thinner, lighter, more accurate color gamut, less power. It literally takes LED and the light source and combines them into a single layer. Until now, LED has always been 2 sheets, LED and under that the light source. Where OLED was single layer, but had more issues with accuracy. I'm not sure how it compares to OLED though other than OLED is 'organic' and has a much smaller 'lifespan' where it will have high color accuracy. Out the gate, right now, OLED can have very high accuracy, but it's known to lose that over time. Where LED is a lot less likely to wear out.

roundaboutnow 750 comments · 13 Years

wizard69 said:

Sounds good but why stop at the watch?

Sony went way beyond a watch here:
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.