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Category: Apple Watch Ultra

  • Rumor: Apple to begin mass producing its own microLED displays

    Rumor: Apple to begin mass producing its own microLED displays

    When in doubt, roll your own.

    According to Nikkei Asia, Apple will begin mass producing its own microLED displays in order to lessen its reliance on Samsung, increase control over its supply chain, and lay the groundwork to realize its ultimate goal of bringing the technology to iPhones.

    Per sources close to the story, Apple has invested at least $1 billion on microLED research and development over the past decade. Once production begins, Apple will perform the critical “mass transfer” step of the manufacturing process, which involves placing at least tens of thousands of tiny microLED chips onto substrates.

    The company is said to be planning to fabricate the tiny microLED chips directly onto wafers and will partner with ams-Osram for the microLED components, LG Display for the substrates, and TSMC for 12-inch wafers. The process will reportedly be carried out at Apple’s secretive R&D facilities in the Longtan District in the northern Taiwanese city of Taoyuan.

    Apple currently has R&D teams working on the units in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan, and is said to have designed not only the driver integrated circuits for the units, but some of its own production equipment to better control the mass transfer process. This will allow Apple to eventually adopt the display technology in products that traditionally use OLED panels supplied by Samsung and other suppliers.

    In spite of the groundwork Apple’s already completed, microLED display production remains challenging with higher manufacturing costs, which is why Apple will start rolling out the technology with the Apple Watch Ultra before ultimately mass-producing microLED displays for iPhones. The technology allows for higher brightness, decreased power consumption, improved contrast ratio, and other benefits compared to current iPhones with OLED displays.

    The updated Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display is expected in 2025, and the first iPhone to adopt the technology is likely still several years away from launching. All four iPhone 15 models coming later this year are expected to feature OLED displays.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Nikkei Asia

  • Apple launches Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia

    Apple launches Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia

    Apple has debuted its Tap to Pay feature on iPhone in Australia, allowing for secure contactless payments throughout the country.

    At launch, Westpac and Tyro Payments are the first payment platforms in Australia to provide Tap to Pay on iPhone to their customers. Other payment platforms and applications, such as ANZ Worldline Payment Solutions, Stripe, Till Payments, and Zeller, will also introduce the feature in the upcoming months.

    Apple will also be introducing Tap to Pay on iPhone in Apple Store locations across Australia later in the year.

    To set this up, merchants can activate the feature through a compatible iOS app on an iPhone Xs or a more recent device running iOS 16.4 or a later version. Once activated, businesses can request that customers hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the merchant’s iPhone to complete the payment using NFC technology securely.

    The feature supports various payment options, including Apple Pay, contactless credit or debit cards, and other digital wallets. Additionally, Tap to Pay on iPhone includes PIN entry functionality.

    Transactions via Tap to Pay on iPhone are encrypted and processed using the Secure Element feature on the handset. Like Apple Pay, Apple does not know the specific items being purchased or the identity of the individuals making the purchases.

    If you’ve had a chance to try Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via AppleInsider and Apple

  • Rumor: Apple developing next-gen iPhone with microLED display

    Rumor: Apple developing next-gen iPhone with microLED display

    The next generation of iPhone could feature a beauteous microLED display.

    According to noted supply chain publication website DigiTimes, Apple plans to release an iPhone with a microLED display in the future. This display technology would allow for higher brightness, decreased power consumption, improved contrast ratio, and other benefits compared to current iPhones with OLED displays.

    The article, which is located behind a paywall, claims that a next-gen Apple Watch Ultra will be the first Apple device to switch to microLED, followed by the iPhone and iPad:

    Starting with Apple Watch, Apple plans to further introduce microLED display to iPhone and iPad. Some sources from IT industry forecast that Apple Watch Ultra will no longer use existing OLED display by end-2024 or 2025 as it will be replaced by Apple’s self-developed microLED display.

    The Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display might not arrive until 2025, and an iPhone with microLED might still be several years away. All four iPhone 15 models coming later this year are expected to stick with OLED displays.

    Apple is still transitioning to OLED displays. The first Apple device with an OLED display was the original Apple Watch, followed by the iPhone X, and the first iPad and Mac models with OLED displays are rumored to launch next year. The transition to microLED will likely follow a similar smaller-to-larger device trajectory.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and DigiTimes

  • Rumor: Apple Watch Series 9 to feature S9 processor

    Rumor: Apple Watch Series 9 to feature S9 processor

    The Apple Watch Series 9 could see a heft boost in its processor power with the apparent inclusion of Apple’s S9 processor.

    According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and chat within his Power On Discord channel, the writer responded to questions about the Apple Watch Series 9’s chip. After confirming new models are “due for the updated SoC,” Gurman offered the chip could be a lot more powerful than the change from S7 to S8.

    “I think it’ll be a new processor, not just a re-brand of the previous generation,” he offers. When asked directly if he thinks the new Apple Watch chip could be based on the A15 Bionic, Gurman says “yes, I believe it is!”

    From a power consumption perspective alone, the chip won’t draw as much power as the A15, which the S9 is based on.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider

  • Apple reports Q2 2023 financial results, cites $24.16 billion profit on $94.8 billion in revenues for quarter

    Apple reports Q2 2023 financial results, cites $24.16 billion profit on $94.8 billion in revenues for quarter

    It was a 3 percent drop for the quarter, but the numbers still looked good.

    Apple on Thursday officially reported earnings for Q2 2023, posting quarterly revenue of $94.8 billion, down 3 percent year-over-year. Earnings-per-share came in at $1.52, unchanged year-over-year. Net profits for the quarter came in at $24.16 billion.

    Apple also set a March quarterly record for iPhone revenue and a new all-time high for Services.

    While Apple no longer reports unit sales for any of its products but instead reports a breakdown of revenue by product category. The full breakdown for the fiscal Q1 2023, compared to fiscal Q1 2022 numbers, went as follows:

    iPhone: $51.33 billion ($48.84 billion estimated)

    Mac: $7.17 billion ($7.80 billion estimated)

    iPad: $6.67 billion ($6.69 billion estimated)

    Wearables, Home, and Accessories: $8.76 billion ($8.43 billion estimated)

    Services: $20.91 billion ($20.97 billion estimated)

    Apple CEO Tim Cook offered the following comments regarding the financial report:

    “We are pleased to report an all-time record in Services and a March quarter record for iPhone despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, and to have our installed base of active devices reach an all-time high. We continue to invest for the long term and lead with our values, including making major progress toward building carbon neutral products and supply chains by 2030.”

    Apple CFO Luca Maestri offered the following:

    “Our year-over-year business performance improved compared to the December quarter, and we generated strong operating cash flow of $28.6 billion while returning over $23 billion to shareholders during the quarter,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “Given our confidence in Apple’s future and the value we see in our stock, our Board has authorized an additional $90 billion for share repurchases. We are also raising our quarterly dividend for the eleventh year in a row.”

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Apple