As of February 2014, the number of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) products with AMOLED displays is exactly zero, and all of their cutting edge devices use their Retina display instead. By contrast, its rival and imitator, Samsung Group of Korea, has embraced AMOLED technology and has developed cutting edge versions for its near-future product lineup. Rumors that the forthcoming iWatch will feature an AMOLED display rather than a Retina display could be in error, or could herald a sea change in Apple’s technology choices.
AMOLED, or Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode, screens make use of an organic layer sandwiched between a cathode layer and a thin film transistor (TFT) array. Electricity fed through the TFT causes the organics to luminesce and produce an image. The Retina display, by contrast, is simply a traditional LCD display with tiny pixels that are too small for the human eye to notice as “pixellation,” thus producing a smooth, crisp image. AMOLED offers better colors, less power consumption, thinner displays, and superior brightness. Retina, however, eliminates the minor pixellation which is still visible on AMOLED.
The fact that Apple Inc. (AAPL) has at least some interest in AMOLED has been objectively confirmed since at least 2011. In February of that year, three patent applications from the Cupertino electronics enterprise were published, all of them relating to OLED displays. These applications confirm an interest, but do not guarantee that AMOLED products will ever be made by Apple. The firm has patented far more products and processes than have ever seen the light of day.
Even more exciting than these early OLED filings is a patent application from Apple (AAPL) which was revealed in 2013, describing an iPhone or smartphone with a wraparound AMOLED screen. Several different possible configurations were shown, including a flattened oval, a rectangular model, and a nearly round cylinder. These science fictional designs would certainly outdo anything offered by Samsung, but it is uncertain if the technology even exists to make a viable, working smartphone of this type at this point in time.
Samsung is leveraging its lead in AMOLED technology to produce tablets and smartphones that can compete with Apple equivalents on the basis of this display feature. In a market where thinner products have large amounts of mystique and market power, the AMOLED screens have at least one basic marketing advantage over Retina devices.
It seems likely that Apple Inc. (AAPL) will test the AMOLED waters at some point. The iWatch might be an opportunity for such a commercial test. If the wrist-worn electronics device does indeed include OLED tech, and if it sells well, this will probably be a fairly strong indication that other Apple AMOLED products will soon follow. Stepwise replacement of Retina technology seems the most realistic expectation – and could lead to additional legal frays between Apple and Samsung if the Korean company finds a way to claim that Apple is ripping off their designs, in an ironic reversal of the usual pattern.
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