Apple is reportedly working on its first OLED MacBook – and analysts predict it could arrive as early as next year.
The news comes from a reliable Ming-Chi Kuo insider who claims that in new thread on twitter (opens in a new tab) that the greater design freedom afforded by OLED display technology “has caused Apple to plan to ship an OLED MacBook in late 2024 at the earliest.”
Apple is currently using mini-LED panels in its 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) and 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021) laptops, but Kuo believes the company’s move to OLED panels will result in a “surge” in sales of OLED laptops in the coming years of summer.
(5/6) Compared to mini-LEDs, laptops using OLEDs have the advantage of being thinner and lighter and offer more diverse design options such as folding, which is why Apple plans to ship the OLED MacBook by 2024 at the earliest.January 11, 2023
Why does Apple want to switch to OLED? First, OLED panels are thinner and lighter than their mini-LED counterparts, giving manufacturers the freedom to create sleeker laptop designs. They’re also a more suitable option for foldable displays – and previous rumors (opens in a new tab) hinted that Apple is already hard at work on a foldable 20-inch MacBook.
This isn’t the first time Kuo has speculated about the development of an OLED MacBook; both he and fellow analyst Ross Young have previously suggested such a perspective. But Kuo has never mentioned a time frame so far, and his suggestion of “end of 2024” ties in with Young’s own prediction of when this mysterious OLED MacBook might arrive.
Neither Kuo nor Young claim to know whether the MacBook in development is a MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air, although the latter has stated that the laptop will use a technique called “tandem stack” that could reduce power consumption by up to 30%, increase its brightness and extend the service life.
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Ironically, it looks like Apple is about to start moving away from OLED technology in the category of handheld products. According to new rumors, the tech giant is committed to bringing micro-LED display technology to future iPhone and Apple Watch models.
According to a report by Apple expert, Bloomberg resident Mark Gurman: “The next generation [Apple Watch displays] are designed to offer brighter, more vibrant colors and the ability to see better at an angle. The displays make the content look as if it was painted on glass, according to people who saw them and asked to remain anonymous as the design is still a secret.
In other words, the next Apple Watch Ultra (and, as Gurman suggests, future iPhones) will be very, very bright. So it makes sense that Apple might want to introduce the OLED MacBook around the same time as its first micro-LED-equipped Apple Watch.