LCD manufacturer Japan Display is struggling financially after orders have decreased, and is looking for a secured loan to migrate to new, power efficient, OLED panel production for potential future iPhone use and to preserve the company's future.
Supply chain reports suggest that Oppo, one of the forces combating Apple in the Chinese market, will not hit shipment targets as a result of insufficient OLED supply from leading display maker Samsung.
With Apple rumored to be switching to OLED screens starting with the 2017 iPhone, research firm IHS believes that product's launch will serve as a game changer for OLED technology and mobile displays.
LG Display on Wednesday announced plans to spend 1.99 trillion won — about $1.75 billion — on a new flexible OLED production line, which could potentially help the company vie for Apple iPhone orders.
LG Display will boost its investment in OLED production, according to the company's CEO, in order to cope with being pinched by slowing iPhone sales and competition from Chinese panel suppliers.
Samsung Display, the largest OLED manufacturer in the world and a key display supplier for Apple's entire range of products, was rumored to spin off its OLED business as a separate entity from its money-losing LCD operations. But the company later issued a statement denying the report [updated]
With rumors continuing to suggest Apple plans to introduce an all-new iPhone design with an OLED display next year, it's likely not a coincidence that display suppliers Samsung and Sharp are both indicating they plan to expand OLED shipments before the end of 2017.
Samsung is considering announcing not one but two smartphones with bendable OLED screens as soon as early 2017, which could potentially be more radical designs than what's rumored for Apple's own OLED phones that year, a report said on Tuesday.
Amidst rumors of an all-new glass-backed look for the iPhone in 2017, the chief executive of Catcher, the company that builds metal casings for the iPhone lineup, added fuel to the fire on Thursday with new comments about next year's model.
Apple will ship an OLED iPhone with a curved screen in 2018, as part of a ramp-up of the company's OLED use beyond the Apple Watch, according to a new research forecast.
Amid slowing sales from a stalling smartphone market, Apple supplier Japan Display is apparently hopeful that future iPhone models could use OLED display technology, helping to once again reignite sales growth.
Cowen and Company upgraded its outlook on AAPL stock to "outperform" on Wednesday with a $135 price target, telling investors it believes Apple will return to growth with this fall's "iPhone 7" and beyond.
A report on Wednesday claims Apple is planning to incorporate OLED display technology in its iPhone lineup in 2017, a year earlier than previous estimates, though the new screen technology will be limited to certain high-end models due to initial supply constraints.
A U.S. patent application published on Thursday suggests that Apple is at least experimenting with the concept of wraparound displays for some of its portable devices.
LG Display is reportedly planning to increase its manufacturing capacity for curved OLED displays, in a move that may back rumors the company will help Apple produce its first OLED-equipped iPhone.
Samsung Display is reportedly planning to spend up to $7.47 billion on expanding manufacturing capacity with the long-term goal of producing flexible OLED panels for future iPhones.
Apple is planning to invest in Taiwan's AU Optronics and build the firm into an AMOLED screen supplier for future iPhones, reports said on Tuesday.
Apple is now operating a top secret production laboratory in Longtan, Taiwan, formerly run by Qualcomm to develop a unique, low-power display technology known as IMOD, or Interferometric Modulator Display.
Yet another report from Japan claims that Apple is planning to jump to OLED panel displays for its iPhone lineup starting in 2018, using the same display technology found in the Apple Watch.
Apple is working to switch to OLED displays for iPhones beginning in 2018, a major Japanese publication reported on Wednesday.
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Mike Wuerthele
Neil Hughes
Roger Fingas
Mikey Campbell
Daniel Eran Dilger
AppleInsider Staff
