A report from The Elec has suggested that Apple might launch an iPad incorporating a Samsung-supplied OLED display in 2024. While the South Korean manufacturer is developing the equipment needed to create the OLED panels Apple desires for its iPads, the Cupertino firm will need to place a sufficiently large order to ensure the project’s financial viability.
According to The Elec, Apple and Samsung were collaborating on the creation of a 10.86-inch OLED panel last year, only for work on the display to cease during the third quarter. Apple requested panels with a “two stack tandem structure”, but Samsung found the undertaking to be overly expensive, and was unable to manufacture sufficient numbers of the panels at an optimal price.
For the second collaboration, if a “large enough order” is placed by Apple, Samsung will have the luxury of finalizing its spending plans during 2022’s second quarter, and ordering the required equipment during the third quarter. Delivery of the equipment is anticipated in 2023, so that Samsung can produce displays that would ultimately be used in an OLED iPad for 2024.
In the meantime, while the chances of a 2024 OLED iPad may depend on Apple ordering a hefty number of OLED display panels from Samsung, there is also the chance that the Cupertino company could decide to go with panels from another display provider.
Right now, Apple uses OLED displays for both the iPhone and the Apple Watch. However, customers desiring an OLED Mac or iPad have so far been forced to settle for LCD and mini-LED. There has been sustained speculation that Apple is interested in OLED panels for the latter two devices, but customers might still be waiting a few years to see the technology used in an iPad or Mac, due to the considerable expense of OLED display panels.