Hardware
Apple develops its own display technology
After developing its own computer chips, Apple also wants to develop the display technology for its devices itself. The iPhone company has already succeeded in producing prototypes of small screens for its Apple Watch computer watch, according to the financial service Bloomberg.
Apple's MicroLED technology should produce displays that offer a brighter picture and are also thinner and more energy-efficient, according to sources. However, it could be another three to five years before the technology appears in an iPhone.
In addition to research,Apple has also set up its own production facility in Santa Clara, California, not far from the company's headquarters, in order to maintain a competitive advantage for as long as possible. MicroLEDs are much more difficult to produce than current screens: each of the display's millions of pixels consists of three light-emitting diodes in the colors red, green and blue. Each of these tiny LEDs has to be manufactured and calibrated individually. Apple wants to produce "a handful" of MicroLED displays for the Watch in Santa Clara, writes Bloomberg. However, the technology is so complex that the company almost discontinued the project a year ago.
Apple attaches great importance to developing the hardware components of its devices itself so that they are better suited to the planned functions. For years, iPhones, iPads and computer watches have been equipped with chips developed in-house, while most Android smartphone manufacturers use off-the-shelf processors. When it comes to displays, Apple has so far had to rely entirely on suppliers, even though the OLED screens for the new iPhone X, which are manufactured by Samsung, were largely designed by Apple.
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