One of the big differences between Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), y Samsung, its main competitor, is that the second manufactures components, and the first does not. The Korean firm is the main provider of OLED screens for iPhones, and those from Cupertino are not very funny.
So Apple has partnered with TMSC and it is "almost forcing" the chipmaker to start manufacturing the future micro LED panels that will mount the future "Apple Glass", and thus not depend again on Samsung. We'll see if they get it.
According to a report in Nikkei, Apple has partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to develop new micro OLED displays "Ultra-advanced" in a secret facility in Taiwan. These panels will be for Apple's next augmented reality devices.
Micro OLED displays are built directly on chip wafers instead of a glass substrate. This makes them thinner, smaller and more energy efficient. These micro OLED displays are ideal for smaller devices like the smart glasses Apple is rumored to be working on.
These miniscreens appear to be in the early stage of trial production and it will be several years before Apple and TSMC are ready for mass production. They will be mounted in future Apple Glass that Apple plans to launch, probably in 2023.
MicroOLED and microLED
In addition to working on micro OLED displays at TMSC factories located in Taiwan, Apple is also exploring the technology microLED, with test production lines for both types of displays. A June 2020 report indicated that Apple had invested $ 330 million in a Taiwanese factory that develops microLED displays for Apple Watch, iPads and MacBooks together with vendor Epistar. All this so as not to depend on Samsung panels.
According to NikkeiApple has several unlabeled white lab buildings at Longtan Science Park in Taiwan, focusing on new display technologies, with the location within walking distance of TSMC's chip testing and packaging plant.
Apple has been hiring proven employees from display maker AU Optoelectronics to work on micro OLEDs. These "transfers" are subject to strict confidentiality that forbid them from even meeting friends or acquaintances who work in the tech industry.