Apple has long been believed to be developing microLED displays for its flagship Watch Ultra smartwatch. Last month, the source claimed that the Cupertino, California-based corporation has postponed the Apple Watch Ultra with microLED display until 2026 due to supply chain concerns.
Now, the iPhone maker seems to have abandoned the idea entirely. According to a trustworthy source, Apple abandoned the project after struggling to make the device economically feasible, and it has also laid off some members of the development team.
The revelation comes from TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who stated in a post on X late Friday that Apple has abandoned the microLED Apple Watch Ultra development. According to Kuo, Apple was struggling to see how the high-end displays would add value to the watch as production costs continued to rise. “… Apple thinks that Micro LED can’t add significant value to this product, and the production costs are too high to make it economically viable,” according to the analyst.
Apple Micro LED update:
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 1, 2024
1. My latest survey indicates that Apple has canceled the Micro LED Apple Watch projects because Apple thinks that Micro LED can’t add significant value to this product, and the production costs are too high to make it economically viable.
2. Apple has…
Kuo also stated that Apple has laid off “many people” from its microLED development unit. Apple has not verified the development, and it is unclear how many staff have been let go. “There’s currently no visibility on any Micro LED-related projects,” Kuo said in a statement.
If the alleged abandonment of the microLED Apple Watch Ultra project is confirmed, it will be yet another blow to the company’s goals, following the cancellation of Apple’s decade-long electric car project earlier this week. “It’s undoubtedly a major setback for Apple, which hopes to own the next generation of display technology to make its products more competitive,” Kuo said in a statement.
According to Kuo, Austrian manufacturer asm-OSRAM was Apple’s exclusive LED chip supplier for microLEDs. With the project abandoned, Apple does not plan to build microLED-equipped products in the near future, Kuo stated.
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Osram’s official release also mentions the cancellation of the microLED Apple Watch project. The company stated in a press release that it was reevaluating its microLED approach after a “cornerstone project underpinning its microLED strategy got unexpectedly cancelled.”
Last month, a Korean publication indicated that the Apple Watch with a microLED display would be delayed beyond 2026, with a 2027 delivery still uncertain. According to the source, Apple was unable to finish the component supply chain required to manufacture microLED displays for the Watch Ultra.
