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Apple to Produce 8.5 Million OLED iPad Pro Models This Year

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Apple has ordered an initial 8.5 million OLED display panels from South Korean suppliers for its upcoming redesigned iPad Pro models, which are expected to arrive as soon as this month. The refresh will mark the biggest design update to the Pro lineup since 2018.

iPad-Pro-OLED-Feature-2.jpg

Apple is relying on different OLED display suppliers for the upcoming ~11-inch and ~13-inch iPad Pro models, with Samsung Display exclusively producing ~11-inch panels and LG Display making the ~13-inch panels. Based on current orders, Samsung will produce 4 million units in 2024, while LG will make 4.5 million units for the year, perhaps suggesting that the larger model is forecast to be slightly more popular.

Industry insiders claim the division of labor is due to changes in Apple's demand outlook for OLED iPad Pro models, as well as the unstable production capacity and yield of the two suppliers, which are both still getting to grips with Apple's requirement for new panel technologies.

Apple is rumored to be aiming for "unrivaled" display quality, as well as a design that cuts down on the thickness and weight of its ‌iPad Pro models. Recent leaked CAD drawings of the upcoming models offer a better idea of just how thin the tablets will be. The larger ‌iPad Pro‌, for example, will be over 1mm thinner.

The number of OLED panels Apple orders from Samsung and LG may change after production of the initial quantity, depending on fluctuations in production yield and possible adjustments to Apple's demand forecast for the new ‌OLED ‌iPad‌ Pro‌ models. Apple's latest shipments forecast is said to have been a decrease from the 10 million units that were projected for 2024 last year.
Apple's ‌iPad Pro‌ models are also expected to be upgraded with faster 3-nanometer M3 chips, and MagSafe charging is a possibility. Apple is also expected to sell the devices with a new Magic Keyboard and an upgraded Apple Pencil. For all the details, refer to our OLED iPad Pro guide.

(Via DigiTimes.)

Article Link: Apple to Produce 8.5 Million OLED iPad Pro Models This Year
 
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https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/08/apple-produce-8-5-million-oled-ipad-pro/
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I'm asking here because I don't know.
I've seen this type of statement several times in different news items.

When articles refer to things like "getting to grips with Apple's requirement for new panel technologies" does this mean Apple designed the panel, and gave the design to the manufacturers to make, or is it more of a "We want a panel of X size, with Y brightness, and Z refresh rate. Now go off and design and make that for me please"?
 
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j26 said:
I'm asking here because I don't know.
I've seen this type of statement several times in different news items.

When articles refer to things like "getting to grips with Apple's requirement for new panel technologies" does this mean Apple designed the panel, and gave the design to the manufacturers to make, or is it more of a "We want a panel of X size, with Y brightness, and Z refresh rate. Now go off and design and make that for me please"?
Click to expand...
Seems Apple had design requirements in this case (+ price, of course). Quoting from the same source as this article:

Usual OLED panels for typical smartphones cost anywhere from $50 to $60, while OLED panels for the 11-inch iPad Pro could be priced around $280 to $290. The pricing of the OLED panel for a 13-inch iPad Pro could be $380-$390. This is because of the larger screen size and the tandem OLED panel technology that Apple has opted for. This new technology, which uses two layers of OLED stacked on top of each other, will greatly improve the brightness and reliability of OLED panels. The tandem structure OLED panel from LG Display reportedly improves the lifetime of the panel by 4x, while the efficiency improves by 1.5x-2x compared to OLED with a single-layer structure.

Due to this price increase, the pricing of the iPad Pro is also expected to be higher. Some reports claim that the newer-generation 11-inch iPad Pros will be priced $100-$150 higher than current-generation iPad Pro models. The 13-inch iPad Pro that is expected to be launched this year could be $150-$200 pricier than 13-inch iPad Pros with Mini-LED screens.
 
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iPay said:
Seems Apple had design requirements in this case (+ price, of course). Quoting from the same source as this article:

Usual OLED panels for typical smartphones cost anywhere from $50 to $60, while OLED panels for the 11-inch iPad Pro could be priced around $280 to $290. The pricing of the OLED panel for a 13-inch iPad Pro could be $380-$390. This is because of the larger screen size and the tandem OLED panel technology that Apple has opted for. This new technology, which uses two layers of OLED stacked on top of each other, will greatly improve the brightness and reliability of OLED panels. The tandem structure OLED panel from LG Display reportedly improves the lifetime of the panel by 4x, while the efficiency improves by 1.5x-2x compared to OLED with a single-layer structure.

Due to this price increase, the pricing of the iPad Pro is also expected to be higher. Some reports claim that the newer-generation 11-inch iPad Pros will be priced $100-$150 higher than current-generation iPad Pro models. The 13-inch iPad Pro that is expected to be launched this year could be $150-$200 pricier than 13-inch iPad Pros with Mini-LED screens.
Click to expand...
Thanks.
 
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j26 said:
I'm asking here because I don't know.
I've seen this type of statement several times in different news items.

When articles refer to things like "getting to grips with Apple's requirement for new panel technologies" does this mean Apple designed the panel, and gave the design to the manufacturers to make, or is it more of a "We want a panel of X size, with Y brightness, and Z refresh rate. Now go off and design and make that for me please"?
Click to expand...
It can be a mixture of both. Hell, even the circuit boards that Apple designs in house are likely modified at the manufacture. It is a big "problem" in the industry where changes will be made, won't be told to the buyer, and then when the manufacture changes issues pop up because the deisng w
 
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StuBeck said:
It can be a mixture of both. Hell, even the circuit boards that Apple designs in house are likely modified at the manufacture. It is a big "problem" in the industry where changes will be made, won't be told to the buyer, and then when the manufacture changes issues pop up because the deisng w
Click to expand...
Thanks. That helps clarify things for me
 
Knowing that Samsung are providing the OLED screens for the smaller iPad Pro, I'm wondering if this iPad will support Dolby Vision? Although the larger iPad Pro is a little less portable, my use of an iPad is mainly for viewing entertainment media when away from home using Plex, my  movie library and whatever American streaming services that I am subscribed to at the time. OLED is the best and picture quality is important to me and I would hate to think that is comprised because Samsung do not pay the Dolby licensing fees. Refer to: https://www.techradar.com/news/dolby-vision-on-samsung-tvs-why-isnt-it-supported .
 
Is that a lot? I have no idea about iPad sales numbers. It seems like a lot considering how expensive these are going to be.
SurferPup said:
Knowing that Samsung are providing the OLED screens for the smaller iPad Pro, I'm wondering if this iPad will support Dolby Vision? Although the larger iPad Pro is a little less portable, my use of an iPad is mainly for viewing entertainment media when away from home using Plex, my  movie library and whatever American streaming services that I am subscribed to at the time. OLED is the best and picture quality is important to me and I would hate to think that is comprised because Samsung do not pay the Dolby licensing fees. Refer to: https://www.techradar.com/news/dolby-vision-on-samsung-tvs-why-isnt-it-supported .
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I'm pretty sure all HDR-capable Apple devices support Dolby Vision and have for years.
 
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Jim Lahey said:
Half a decade too late for me. Already switched back to laptops. But inexplicably, Apple doesn’t make one I want, so it’s probably time to move on entirely.
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At some point they'll make a touch screen laptop, everyone will piss their pants with joy and argue about how they were right to wait as long as they did for some inexplicable reason, and iPad sales will plummet...because that's the real reason they've been waiting on a touch screen for so long.
 
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j26 said:
I'm asking here because I don't know.
I've seen this type of statement several times in different news items.

When articles refer to things like "getting to grips with Apple's requirement for new panel technologies" does this mean Apple designed the panel, and gave the design to the manufacturers to make, or is it more of a "We want a panel of X size, with Y brightness, and Z refresh rate. Now go off and design and make that for me please"?
Click to expand...
Probably somewhere in between. Apple certainly has panel tech experts, but the manufacturers have to test out what works in practice, and of course have their own experts that will give input. I’d assume it’s a give and take and push and pull.
 
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I don't like this move especially since OLED is still not a great option for professional uses and if the rumor is true about the price, it's gonna be messed up.
 
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StuBeck said:
At some point they'll make a touch screen laptop, everyone will piss their pants with joy and argue about how they were right to wait as long as they did for some inexplicable reason, and iPad sales will plummet...because that's the real reason they've been waiting on a touch screen for so long.
Click to expand...

Personally I have no interest in touchscreen MacBooks. But simply, whoever signed off on notched laptop screens must have been dropped on their head as a baby. And whoever agreed to delete Space Gray on the MacBook Pro should be doing hard jail time.
 
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Contact_Feanor said:
"Apple to Produce 8.5 Million OLED iPad Pro Models This Year"

And people thought the iPad lineup was confusing with just 6 models before, wait until they have 8.5 million models!
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Yeah, and no way Apple Stores will have all of them in stock.
 
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