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The Next iPhone Will Feature An OLED Display, Says Bloomberg (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Apple Inc. has big plans to outfit its next iPhone with vibrant, energy-sipping organic LED displays, seeking to entice consumers with new technology that's already been embraced by other high-end smartphone makers. The trouble is that the four main suppliers for such components won't have enough production capacity to make screens for all new iPhones next year, with constraints continuing into 2018, people familiar with the matter said, presenting a potential challenge for the Cupertino, California-based company. OLED screens are more difficult to produce, putting Apple at the mercy of suppliers that are still working to manufacture the displays in mass quantities, the people said. The four largest producers are Samsung Display Co., LG Display Co., Sharp Corp., and Japan Display Inc. While Samsung is on track to be the sole supplier for the new displays next year, the South Korean company may not be able to make enough due to low yield rates combined with increasing iPhone demand. The supply constraints may force Apple to use OLED in just one version of the next-generation iPhone, push back adoption of the technology or cause other snags. Apple plans to ship at least one new iPhone with an OLED screen next year, the 10th anniversary of the smartphone's debut, people with knowledge of the matter said. A pair of other new iPhone models will likely feature screens that use older LCD technology, partly because there won't be enough OLED displays to satisfy anticipated demand, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The OLED iPhone, at least, will have a new look that extends glass from the display to the device's back and edges, according to a person familiar with Apple's plans. This all-glass design will have a virtual Home button embedded in an edge-to-edge screen, rather than a physical button that can be pressed, the person added.
We have to hear about the next one a year or two in advance, all the damn time.
Will this allow them to make the phone thinner?
I love my iPhone 7, but the battery still lasts too long, and there's still too many goddam ports and buttons on the thing. I wish Apple would come out with a thinner phone that had half the battery capacity, no Lightning port, and a completely sealed and smooth chassis. Extra points for making it so thin there's no practical way I could ever put it in my pocket and sit down without breaking it. They're almost there with the 6 and 7, but not quite. I hate having any semblance of durability on my premium hardware. The phone should never last longer than the warranty, otherwise there's no reason for me to go out and buy new shiny hardware every 3 years.