A new supply chain report pegs touch panel manufacturers General Interface Solution and TPK Holding as OLED touch panel suppliers for Apple, with the pair spending millions of dollars to expand capacity in time for the "iPhone 8."
GIS is putitng $163 million into capital expenditures for the production capacity needed. TPK holding is dropping $152 million. Both companies have historically been Apple touch screen suppliers, with GIS known more for the iPad Pro, and TPK for the iPhone.
The existing iPhone touch screens for LCD displays are glass panel based. The potential shift to OLED screens necessitates a thin-film solution, rather than the older technology.
The thin-film requires a more complex manufacturing process to retain the precision that Apple demands. DigiTimes reports that a glass-based 3D touch sensor costs about $9, while a thin-film solution with 3d touch is closer to $15.