Samsung Display and LG Display are both gearing up to build 8-Gen AMOLED production lines, aiming to supply Apple (and others) with OLEDs for IT devices - laptops and tablets, mostly. Last month Samsung announced that it will convert an existing LCD line in Asan to OLED production, with an estimated cost of $3.1 billion.
According to a new report from Korea, the slowdown in Apple's laptop sales is a cause of worry for the OLED producers, who have delayed the plans to build the new fabs, and delayed equipment orders. The main problem for the OLED makers is that the slowdown in Apple's sales may drive Apple to want to low the price of the laptop displays, which would put a stress on the profitability of new OLED fabs.
Apple's laptop ales dropped 31% in Q2 2023 (compared to Q2 2022), and last quarter sales dropped as well (29% year on year). Apple's iPad sales seem to be recovering, but apparently that may not be enough to convince Samsung and LG to accelerate the construction of dedicated IT OLED lines.
It is reported that Apple will begin using OLEDs in its iPad Pro devices next year, and Omdia estimates that Apple will start using OLEDs in laptops (MacBook Pro at first) in 2026.
