Is Apple Considering Using OLED's?

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has taken out a patent that would improve OLED brightness control.

This is interesting because Apple has thus far avoided OLED displays and it raises an even more interesting question:

Could Apple finally be considering using OLED's?

That we don't know quite yet, but so far Apple has been avoiding it as much as its competitors have been embracing it. One of the problems with OLED displays, as noted by AppleInsider is that:

"The filing, entitled "OLED Driving Technique," explains that traditional LCD brightness is adjusted by simply increasing or decreasing the amount of light emitted by a backlight. But that's not possible with an OLED display, as each pixel on an OLED screen emits light individually.

That means device makers must adjust the amount of power supplied to each OLED pixel, making it a far more complex endeavor to adjust brightness than an LCD display with a dedicated backlight."

Some people, like Forbes contributing writer, Nigam Arora, also thinks that Apple's refusal to use OLED's displays could eventually cost Apple big time. Of course, there are reasons why Apple prefers LED's to OLED's, as used in its current products, as Mr. Arora notes that traditional OLED's, like the ones that many Android devices use, suffer from various and sorted problems such as those below:

"Traditionally it has been difficult to mass produce OLEDs. Further OLEDs structures are inherently unstable. OLEDs were also limited by the life span of organic materials that transferred light. For example historically materials used in blue OLEDs had a life span of 14,000 hours to half original brightness, compared to 40,000 hours for traditional LEDs.

Traditional OLEDs also suffered from color balance deficiencies. Materials used for the blue color deteriorated more rapidly than the materials used for other colors. Since most displays of today use only three colors red, green, and blue, this color imbalance issue has been a serious problem.

OLEDs have also suffered from screen burn in issues, not dissimilar to plasma displays. Certain OLED materials also are damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight."

That said, there are certainly advantages to OLED's too, such as their brightness and color saturation which makes images just seem to jump out at you, as they are so vivid, and especially noticeable when you compare them side-to-side with most LED's.

Mr. Arora, by the way, is an engineer and a nuclear physicist by background, and he has founded two of Inc. 500 fastest growing companies, as well, he has been involved in over some 50 entrepreneurial ventures. In other words: he knows what he's talking about and is the type of guy that you simply can't dismiss so easily. He also pointed out that if the development of OLED technology continues at its present pace it will end up becoming a big negative for traditional LED providers, like those who produce all of Apple's current crop of devices, which is also why he wrote:

"There are rumors that Apple is investing $500 million to $1 billion for the next generation of displays. Several informed sources contend that these will be OLED displays." 

So, could Apple really be serious about using OLED's in the future?

In conclusion, I don't really know for sure, of course, what Apple will do, but I everything that I see seems to indicate just that, and this goes especially for any rumored Apple TV.  If this turns out to be the case, then Apple's future is not only looking bright, but a hell-of-a-lot brighter and a hell-of-a-lot more colorful to boot!



And that's my 2 cents 4 this absolutely glorious sunny Thursday, April 26, 2012

Opening OLED image via: SamyHub