(FreedomBeacon.com)- Apple is making a big change in its manufacturing operations, announcing this week that it would start using custom displays that it creates for all of its mobile devices.
The plan, which the company said they might roll out as early as next year, is being done to reduce Apple’s reliance on some of its technology partners, which includes LG and Samsung. This will give the Big Tech company more control over quality and supply, since they will be bringing this manufacturing component in-house.
The first displays that will be swapped out in this way will be the top-flight Apple Watches, sources with knowledge of the situation told media outlets. The goal is to have that done by the end of 2024.
The screens will be upgraded from OLED — which stands for organic light-emitting diode — to a new technology referred to as microLED. Apple has plans to eventually bring those displays to some of its other devices, which includes its iPhone.
By bringing the manufacturing of its mobile device screens in-house, Apple will have more control over both the capabilities and design of all its products. This falls right in line with how Apple operates as a company, in fact.
Recently, Apple went away from getting its chips for Mac computers from Intel Corp., and bringing that production in-house as well. The company also has future plans to do that for some of the wireless components that are in the iPhone.
Representatives for Apple declined to make a comment on the latest development, which was first reported by Bloomberg.
Samsung is widely considered the leading manufacturer of displays in the world, and they already produce a version of the microLED that they use in their own TVs. With Apple bringing the screen manufacturing in-house, they could eventually be able to customize their devices more to their liking, while also having a more secure position over the supply chain for the specific components needed for its products.
While this recent announcement was a major one, it’s been in the works for a few years now. Bloomberg actually reported back in 2018 that Apple had future plans to design the displays on its own, and that the effort would begin with the Apple Watch.
The fact that Apple will now take over this production will surely deal a major blow to LG Display Co. and Samsung Display Co., which are the two major suppliers of the screens for the Apple Watch.
Following Bloomberg’s posting of the news on Wednesday, shares of LG Display fell 4.1%. Apple’s shares didn’t change that much, and Samsung Electronics Co. was able to fight off losses due to the news with gains in other areas.
According to the Bloomberg report, Apple has already rolled out some testing of the microLED displays on a newer version of the Apple Watch Ultra, a high-end sports watch that the company currently has in development.
