Analysis finds OLED display unlikely for Apple's third-gen iPad
OLED-display.net on Friday made their case as to why Apple will not adopt an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display in its third-generation iPad. The site noted that Samsung is expected to concentrate on small- and medium-sized OLED panels with its latest production lines, set to begin manufacturing in the next two weeks.
Samsung's total capacity is expected to be 8 million 4-inch OLED panels per month by the end of 2011. But the display maker is also said to have delayed investments for larger screen sizes of 6 inches to 9 inches until 2012.
The report also said that Samsung is interested in producing an OLED display for its own 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, but such a device is not expected to arrive until 2012 at the earliest. And that screen size is significantly smaller than the 9.7-inch display Apple has embraced with the iPad form factor.
Also included is video footage from an interview with Barry Young, director of the OLED Association. The clip shows Young confidently saying that Apple will not ship a product with an OLED screen in 2011.
"If anything, it would have to be after 2011, maybe 2012," he said. "It's just not going to happen for Apple."
The report concludes that Samsung Mobile Display could provide millions of smaller OLED display panels, with sizes of 3 inches or 4 inches, to Apple by late 2011 or early 2012. But the company is not expected to be able to produce screen sizes of between 7 inches and 9 inches in mass quantity by that time.
The analysis comes in response to a report earlier this week from The Korea Herald, which claimed that Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook visited South Korea last week to talk with Samsung executives about utilizing an AMOLED display for its third-generation iPad. Sources reportedly told the publication that Apple could launch its next iPad before the end of 2011.
It also claimed that Apple offered Samsung "an advance" for AMOLED screens to guarantee capacity this year. It said that Samsung's Super AMOLED screens offer bright screens, less sunlight reflection and reduced power consumption, resulting in a "significant advantage" over traditional LCD displays.
The iPad 2 utilizes the same IPS LCD display found in the first-generation iPad. Rumors of an AMOLED screen on the iPad have persisted, and even existed before the device was formally announced.
23 Comments
I don't think volume should be a show stopper. Apple can offer both LED and AMOLED models and let buyers choose between them. The AMOLED model is probably a tad more expensive, I suppose.
Maybe iPad 4 then..
I've recently bought a nexus s with a 4" Super AMOLED, and it puts my ipad2 screen to shame.
The colours are extremely vivid, there is no backlight bleeding whatsoever, and the contrast is great, displaying a black image in low light room looks almost as if the screen is off.
I don't think volume should be a show stopper. Apple can offer both LED and AMOLED models and let buyers choose between them. The AMOLED model is probably a tad more expensive, I suppose.
So far, I haven't seen anything OLED 7" or larger that was realistically priced. Even Sony's 11" OLED TV is out of production, and that was $1800 when it was available.
Apple already offers 12 iPad variants, I wonder where on the chart they would add another set of variants.
Maybe iPad 4 then..
I've recently bought a nexus s with a 4" Super AMOLED, and it puts my ipad2 screen to shame.
The colours are extremely vivid, there is no backlight bleeding whatsoever, and the contrast is great, displaying a black image in low light room looks almost as if the screen is off.
Thats a bad comparison. A better comparison would be with an iPhone 4 screen. The larger screens are just far more expensive, and so no one is using the best screens in their tablets.
The backlight bleeding is not an inherent flaw in LCD, but rather a flaw in the set that is being manufactured for the iPad 2.
OLED has great potential, but right now the best LCD technology is far ahead. About the only current major advantage OLED has over LCDs is better blacks (and consequently a better contrast ratio). However, that advantage is more than offset by the significant disadvantage of a much less clear screen in sunlight. This, once again, is not as much of an issue with phones, since they are small enough, that you can shield the phone from sunlight with your body, but is a significant issue for tablets.
And the long-term color degradation issues are severe and real. Anyone selling OLED screens right now is basically hoping the good looking screen will attract you to it, and the fact that the color imbalance a year or so down the line is something you wont be aware of.
Thats a bad comparison. A better comparison would be with an iPhone 4 screen. The larger screens are just far more expensive, and so no one is using the best screens in their tablets.
The backlight bleeding is not an inherent flaw in LCD, but rather a flaw in the set that is being manufactured for the iPad 2.
OLED has great potential, but right now the best LCD technology is far ahead. About the only current major advantage OLED has over LCDs is better blacks (and consequently a better contrast ratio). However, that advantage is more than offset by the significant disadvantage of a much less clear screen in sunlight. This, once again, is not as much of an issue with phones, since they are small enough, that you can shield the phone from sunlight with your body, but is a significant issue for tablets.
And the long-term color degradation issues are severe and real. Anyone selling OLED screens right now is basically hoping the good looking screen will attract you to it, and the fact that the color imbalance a year or so down the line is something you wont be aware of.
That's a load of bollocks. Maybe on the first Gen products, but the new Samsung Super OLED displays like in the Galaxy II solve both these issues, and are FAR better in sunlight than any LCD.