Apple is reportedly placing an initial order for 8.5 million OLED display panels from South Korean suppliers as part of its efforts to rethink the iPad Pro portfolio. This decision comes ahead of the anticipated arrival of the revamped iPad Pro models, which are slated to arrive as early as this month and represent the Pro lineup’s most significant design overhaul since 2018.
Industry insiders claim that Apple has assigned Samsung Display and LG Display equal responsibility for producing OLED panels. For the forthcoming ~11-inch iPad Pro model, Samsung will manufacture the screens solely; an order of 4 million units is scheduled for 2024. With an order of 4.5 million units for the year, LG Display has been charged with producing the ~13-inch screens, which may indicate a higher anticipated demand for the larger model.
The division of labor is linked to shifts in Apple’s expectations for demand for OLED iPad Pro models, as well as the two suppliers’ erratic yield and manufacturing capacity as they continue to adjust to Apple’s demanding specifications for new panel technologies.
Rumors say that Apple’s next iPad Pro models will have “unrivaled” display quality, as well as a design that dramatically decreases thickness and weight. Recent leaked CAD designs show how small these tablets will be, with the larger iPad Pro being over 1mm thinner than its predecessor.
Apart from the improved OLED display, faster 3-nanometer M3 CPUs and maybe MagSafe charging features are anticipated for the upcoming iPad Pro models. Along with the redesigned tablets, Apple is also expected to release an updated Apple Pencil and a new Magic Keyboard.
Although 8.5 million OLED panels are part of the initial order, industry insiders predict that this figure could change depending on production yield and any changes made to Apple’s demand projection. It is said that the most recent shipments estimate was lower than the 10 million units anticipated for 2024 in the previous forecast.
Source: DigiTimes
