A brand new report from the Korea Herald claims that Apple’s show suppliers will kick off manufacturing of latest OLED shows for the next-generation iPad Professional lineup in February 2024.
OLED iPad Professional Fashions
The Herald says its sources inform it that LG Show is getting ready to start OLED panel manufacturing at its facility in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The February timeframe is about three months sooner than most analysts had predicted. Apple is predicted to launch its new iPad Professional lineup someday within the second quarter of 2024.
Apple is estimated to require a complete of 10 million OLED panels for its iPads subsequent yr. LG Show is predicted to supply 60% of the wanted provide whereas Samsung Show will deal with the rest of the manufacturing. Market tracker Omdia believes LG Show will manufacture the panels for Apple’s 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Professional fashions, with Samsung Show offering panels solely for the 11-inch iPad Professional.
The brand new OLED show panels may very well be as a lot as thrice as costly because the show panels used for Apple’s iPhones, which may imply greater promoting costs for the brand new iPad Professional lineup.
At the moment, an LCD show panel is used for Apple’s 11-inch iPad Professional, whereas the 12.9-inch mannequin sports activities a panel that makes use of mini-LED backlighting for elevated brightness and the next distinction ratio. OLED panels want no backlighting, whereas additionally providing the next distinction ratio, offering deeper blacks, lessened energy consumption, and different benefits.
Apple is reportedly growing very skinny OLED show panels, manufactured utilizing a mix of inflexible and versatile supplies, which may end in barely thinner iPad Professional gadgets.
Alongside their new OLED shows, subsequent yr’s iPad Professional fashions, are anticipated to have barely bigger shows and use an M3 chip, amongst different enhancements.
A Bigger iPad Air?
In associated information, well-connected Apple trade analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is planning to launch a bigger 12.9-inch iPad Air that shall be part of a totally refreshed 2024 iPad lineup. Kuo says two new iPad Air fashions are a precedence on the Cupertino firm’s launch roadmap.
Kuo says the 12.9-inch iPad Air will sport an LCD show that won’t be outfitted with the mini-LED know-how used within the present 12.9-inch iPad Professional. Nevertheless, it should use the identical oxide backplane, offering improved efficiency over the present a-Si backplane presently used within the 10.9-inch iPad Air.
Kuo says that he believes the ultimate iPad fashions to roll out in 2024 shall be a brand new iPad mini and an Eleventh-generation iPad.
Regardless of the revamped iPad lineup, Kuo expects solely modest will increase in iPad shipments throughout 2024, with round 52-54 million items in 2024 in comparison with 2023.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, whereas additionally anticipating a completely revamped iPad lineup in 2024, sees a barely totally different timeline than Kuo, whereas not mentioning a brand new bigger iPad Air mannequin.
Gurman beforehand stated that Apple’s low to mid-range iPad fashions may very well be up to date as early as March 2024, whereas new 11-inch and 13-inch M3-powered OLED iPad Professional fashions will launch someday in the course of the first half of 2024. He expects the brand new iPad Air and iPad mini fashions to be powered by M2 and A16 Bionic chips, respectively.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]