iWatch Rumored To Feature Flexible OLED Display
Just a day after Tim Cook (Apple CEO) said the company will most likely debut new product categories next year, a new report surfaced online hinting that the much rumored smart watch from Apple, the iWatch, may be released with a flexible OLED display made LG Display; the report suggests that both companies are about to sign a deal about the upcoming iWatch.
The Korea Herald cited an anonymous source last week saying that the “LG Display has been in talks over flexible organic light emitting diode panels for quite a while and it looks like it will be sealing the deal with Apple”. The Korea Herald also mentioned that Samsung is not involved with the iWatch. LG Display provides Apple with LCD panels for its MacBook, iMac and iPad lines, but it is not the only supplier of iWatch screens as Taiwan’s RiTDisplay is also said to be in the cards for becoming a supplier of iWatch displays.
The Korea Herald quoted Kim Young-woo, an analyst at Seoul-based HMC Investment Securities, saying “Instead of relying on one supplier for its iWatch, which will be unveiled next year, Apple will have two vendors to be safe. The key provider will be RiTDisplay and LG Display will be the second [...] Japan Display might also be a candidate, but so far its capacity seems lacking”.
The report also mentions that not long ago Apple met with Samsung in order to talk about production of the iWatch display, but according to undisclosed sources, it seems the two companies were not able to reach a consensus due to Samsung already promoting its recently released smart watch, the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Apple’s reluctance to share its plans for the iWatch to the rival company from South Korea.
In early October, ETNews from Korea released a report suggesting Apple will start including flexible OLED displays in its products, including the upcoming smart watch. The report also mentioned that Apple will continue to rely on both Samsung and LG for the production of LCD panels, but it will also continue to use screens from Japan Display. This August, CIMB Group analyst Wanli Wang said that Apple will release the iWatch during next year’s second half, with a price starting at $149 and going up to $229.
