O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Omdia

  • Rumor: Apple may introduce MacBook Pro with OLED display in 2026, include Samsung Display as a supplier

    Rumor: Apple may introduce MacBook Pro with OLED display in 2026, include Samsung Display as a supplier

    If you’re hankering for an OLED MacBook Pro, it may still arrive in 2026, with Apple changing its supplier to Samsung Display in the notebook display supply chain.

    Following the iPhone and iPad lineups switching display technologies to OLED, the MacBook lineup is also anticipated to eventually make the switch. A recent report from the analytical group Omdia discussed Apple’s MacBook supply chain for 2025, with analysts discussing changes that will be happening in the future.

    The last paragraph actually discusses Apple shifting the MacBook line from LCD TFT to OLED. Per Lina Lin, Senior Principal Analyst for Tablet and Notebook Display and OEM at Omdia, Apple is expected to introduce OLED to MacBooks “starting 2026.” Lin went on to propose that Samsung Display will probably be added to Apple’s MacBook supply chain at the time as well. At present, Samsung Display functions as one of two major suppliers of OLED panels for Apple’s iPhone handhelds, and is thought to be a valid contender to become a supplier for the MacBook models.

    For Apple, a shift to OLED makes sense, as it would result in a display that’s brighter, has higher contrast, and is extremely vivid. The panel would also be thinner, due to not needing a backlight, which could help reduce the weight and thickness of the MacBook Pro itself. A switch to OLED is not just expected for the MacBook Pro, as the MacBook Air is anticipated to benefit from the display technology.

    However, current expectations estimate that the technology could arrive as late as 2029.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider

  • Research shows Apple Vision Pro micro-LED component prices dropping

    Research shows Apple Vision Pro micro-LED component prices dropping

    Even if you felt the Apple Vision Pro was a silly or unnecessary idea, complete with a high price tag, you can’t deny the precision engineering within it.

    That being said, one of the primary contributors to the device’s $3,500 price tag, two 4K 1.4-inch micro-OLED displays, has begun to come down in price. Per 9to5Mac and Omdia, the displays, estimated to retail for about $350 each, are now available for about $300 as production has ramped up.

    Omdia predicts another $50 drop to $250 per unit in 2025 and expects prices around $210 per unit in 2026. This could potentially lead to a 33 percent cost saving on these key components, which could coincide with the release of a second-gen Apple Vision Pro or a more economical version of the headset.

    As for the devices themselves, their panels are so densely complicated and intricate that they are only manufactured by Sony. It’s been rumored that Sony can only produce about 1 million units per year, thereby capping the Vision Pro’s potential sales of around 500,000 per annum.

    However, more suppliers are expected to enter the supply chain in the next couple of years, which will improve supply and should also help with price competition.

    Apple’s more economical/scaled-down “Apple Vision” is expected as soon as the end of 2025, complete with a rumored cost of $1,500 to $2,000. That device may include lower-quality displays like LCD screens, rather than micro-OLED, for cost reasons.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and Omdia

  • Rumor: MacBook Pro notebooks with OLED displays could begin surfacing in 2026

    Rumor: MacBook Pro notebooks with OLED displays could begin surfacing in 2026

    You may start seeing MacBook Pro notebooks with OLED in 2026.

    Per a supply chain report, the display technology could arrive for Apple’s flagship notebook in roughly two years’ time. The report includes the iPad Pro, which the report says will triple demand for OLED screens in tablets, and going forward, will influence competitors’ strategies to compete with Apple in this particular market.

    Omdia’s Senior Principal Ricky Park offered this opinion in the report:

    “Apple is highly likely to incorporate OLED into its MacBook Pro models as early as 2026,. This move could spark a significant surge in OLED demand within the notebook market, potentially reaching over 60 million units by 2031.”

    It’s currently unknown if Omdia has any particular insight gleaned from data it has discovered on the release timing, though. OLED MacBook Pro models have been rumored for some time. And, nearly all of those rumors have put it a year or more away, regardless of when the rumor was made.

    OLED screens offer higher contrast ratios, require no backlighting, and are thinner and use less power than current displays. Apple has previously been reported to release a MacBook Pro with an OLED screen in 2024.

    Apple’s MacBook Pro lines currently use LCD systems, and OLED displays would offer improved response times and contrast ratios. Still, given the higher manufacturing costs associated with OLEDs, transitioning from LCD to OLED might only be considered when substantial consumer demand exists to support it. Apple’s release of the technology on the iPad before the Mac may be to gauge consumer interest in potentially paying more for the technology.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via AppleInsider and Omdia