Apple to Make In-House Displays, Drop Samsung, LG

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Apple Inc. is planning to start using its own custom displays in mobile devices as early as 2024, an effort to reduce its reliance on technology partners like Samsung and LG and bring more components in-house.

The company aims to begin by swapping out the display in the highest-end Apple Watches by the end of next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The screens upgrade the current OLED — organic light-emitting diode — standard to a technology called microLED, and Apple plans to eventually bring the displays to other devices, including the iPhone.

The changes are part of a sweeping effort to replace Apple supplies with homegrown parts, an undertaking that will give the company more control over the design and capabilities of its products. The tech giant has dropped Intel Corp. chips in its Mac computers in favor of in-house designs and plans to do the same with the key wireless components in its iPhones.

A representative for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.

Samsung is the world's most advanced manufacturer of displays, and has been producing its own version of microLED for TVs. But by bringing the screens in-house, Apple could, in the long run, better customize its devices and maintain a stronger hold on its supply chain.

Apple's screen switch has been underway for years. Bloomberg first reported in 2018 on the company's plan to design its own displays, starting with the Apple Watch. The move will deal a blow to Samsung Display Co. and LG Display Co., the two main suppliers of the watch's screens.

LG Display shares fell as much as 4.1% on Wednesday after Bloomberg reported the news. Shares of Samsung Electronics Co., meanwhile, pared most of its gains during morning trading