Apple gives up microLED after seven years.
Tried to do it myself - would have increased brightness and made colors more vibrant
The company itself wanted to research the best panel for its products, but is now giving up after billions of dollars in R&D. This means that positions will be cut – some will find other work at Apple, others will have to find a new job. Employees in the US and Asia are affected by the changes for the project that was originally intended to be used with Watch.
Mark Gurman was very sure that Apple was going to move forward with the panel technology. At the same time, reports appeared to the contrary, while Gurman believed that Apple had continued to cooperate with the panel company OSRAM: "I don't think the project has been canceled," he wrote in a now-deleted message on X.
The Apple modem and all-in-one chip
Gurman writes in the latest report that Apple is giving up for the moment (OLED will remain on the Watch), but that they continue to research panels for other products/projects. The company has not given up on microLED either, as they see opportunities with other partners and ways to develop them, but it is not expected that they will continue with the same steel focus they have had in the near future.
In addition to researching the panels themselves, it is rumored that they are researching battery chemistry. Apple has also been working on its own 5G modem for many years, a project that has reportedly been postponed several times. In addition to all this, Apple wants its own Bluetooth, 5G and WiFi chip where everything is gathered in one place, and without Apple having control over everything.