Apple Reportedly Still Uninterested in OLED Technology for iOS Devices and Potential Televisions

One of the most popular long-standing rumors regarding Apple's future product plans has centered around television sets. Several analysts have been strong proponents of the idea that Apple is working such a product, and unreliable Australian site Smarthouse reported last month that Apple had been rumored to be in discussions with LG about producing a panel for a 55-inch TV based on organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology.

lg apple tv
The Korea Times now reports (via The Next Web) that no such deal is in place.

“It’s true that Apple has keen interest in TV, allowing users to stream music, videos and TV shows via iTunes, though that needs some iPhone and iPad integration, however, Apple is still pessimistic about using OLED displays,” said one source.

“Because Apple is worried over higher costs and technology-related issues linking to large-sized OLED displays, it is groundless that Apple has asked LG Display to supply its OLED screens for its upcoming televisions,” added the source.

Sources for the report have indicated that Apple is likely to stick with more proven LCD technologies for any such television products, and has continued to shun OLED technology even for its smaller devices. In fact, Apple has shown no signs of moving toward OLED technology even looking out several years into the future.

“Apple has no interest in using OLED screens on its popular devices. The upcoming iPad 3 will also adopt picture quality-enhanced LCD screens, while the next iPhone will follow suit. Three or four more years will be needed to see OLED-embedded digital devices from Apple,” said a top-level executive from one of Apple’s suppliers.

Apple has long dabbled in the television market with the Apple TV, but continues to refer to the set-top box as a "hobby" even as it has tweaked the device to focus on streaming content from both the iTunes Store and users' computers and iOS devices. The company has reportedly been interested in offering more television content, perhaps in the form of "best of TV" subscription packages through the iTunes Store, but has expressed frustration with fragmentation in the industry and the stranglehold cable companies have over the user experience with their own set-top boxes.

Popular Stories

apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
prioritize notifications ios 18 4

Everything New in iOS 18.4 Beta 1

Friday February 21, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Apple finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence There is a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most...
Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
ios 18 4 ambient music

iOS 18.4 Adds New Ambient Music Feature

Friday February 21, 2025 11:06 am PST by
In iOS 18.4, there's a new Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing. Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category. You can't choose what's playing from Control Center, but if...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Denies Speculation Surrounding iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 21, 2025 8:01 am PST by
Apple has confirmed that its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e has nothing to do with the device's lack of MagSafe support, according to Macworld. Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, there was some speculation online about how MagSafe magnets might have interfered with the C1 modem's cellular connectivity performance, and this was considered to be a potential reason for the...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
oppo find n5 fingers

World's Thinnest Foldable Phone Launches in Europe and Asia

Thursday February 20, 2025 8:55 am PST by
Oppo has launched the Find N5, the world's thinnest foldable phone yet. When closed, the book-style foldable measures 8.93mm. That's less than a millimeter thicker than an iPhone 16 Pro, and thinner than the Honor Magic V3, which was the previous record holder. The device is barely thicker than its USB-C port. Indeed, Oppo has suggested that the obstacle to making it any thinner is now "the...

Top Rated Comments

*LTD* Avatar
176 months ago
Apple: A day late and a dollar short

I'm not sure how this applies to Apple.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hastings101 Avatar
176 months ago
I think my Samsung Focus has something similar to that, I think it looks great. Not sure why Apple would be against it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnightWRX Avatar
176 months ago
Yes, oled technology is far from mainstream, the only evice i can think of that has that type of display is the zune hd
Samsung has used it in a number of phones, see Super AMOLED. Having played around with one of them (the Samsung Galaxy S Captivate), the screen is really just stunning, miles beyond what normal LCD provides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_AMOLED
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnightWRX Avatar
176 months ago
I think my Samsung Focus has something similar to that, I think it looks great. Not sure why Apple would be against it.
There's a very good reason : Samsung is the only supplier making SAMOLED screens right now and the yields are low. So much so, that all 3rd party vendors that were planning on using SAMOLED switched to SuperLCD since Samsung refused to ship out screens to them, preferring to use them in their own mobile division.

Considering the number of units Apple needs, it doesn't make sense to tie themselves to Samsung over this and not be able to produce nearly enough units to ship out to consumers.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/07/oled-shortage-forces-htc-to-switch-displays/
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnightWRX Avatar
176 months ago
Haha soooo Apple is avoiding OLED just like they avoid Blu-ray? I mean both are technically much better!

Especially considering Super AMOLED is supposed to fix the sunlight glare issues of previous OLED and AMOLED screens. Now I didn't get to play with the phone outside in sunlight (it was the phone of some guy I knew and we were indoors in a restaurant) so I can't confirm the performance for that scenario, but really, the black and colors were much better than what I've seen even from IPS displays.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miles01110 Avatar
176 months ago
How many television manufactures also own the most popular online content and application distribution network in the world?

None, because Google (Youtube) doesn't make TVs.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)