Consider this further fuel to fire of whether Apple Inc. will be using an organic light emitting diode (OLED) in its next-generation iPhone7. The Cuppertino, Calif.-based company is said to be building a new facility in Longtan, Taiwan for advanced displays, specifically OLEDs.
The facility once housed Qualcomm engineers in the past, but in April, Apple moved into the facility, according to Hsinchu Science Park records. Reports indicate the facility has at least 50 engineers working, and other workers are being used to create new screens for devices including the iPhone and iPad.
Currently, Apple’s devices use ubiquitous liquid crystal displays (LCDs), but OLED displays are known to have better viewing quality, are thinner and require no backlight, although at a higher cost to manufacture. The Internet has been buzzing with rumors over which display Apple will use for its next-generation smartphone claiming it would use OLED displays from both Samsung and LG. Other reports indicate Apple wants to move away from having to rely on outside sources for its displays and by developing its own OLEDs it would certainly be a way to eliminate that reliance on display manufacturers.
