The Elec reported that LG has been testing The deposition technology for 8.5-generation OLED panels since Last December, in preparation for future use in Apple's MacBook and iPad.
8,5-gen-substratet er betydeligt større end det nuværende 6GEN, så selv paneler på størrelse med en MacBook-skærm kan skæres mere økonomisk. Ifølge The Elec er den første MacBook med OLED-paneler foreløbigt planlagt til 2025. LG vil også levere paneler til de første OLED-ipads, men disse mindre paneler vil blive lavet online i den nuværende GENERATION 6. OLED-ipaden kommer på markedet tidligere end OLED MacBook.
In addition, Apple is reportedly keen on using dual-layer OLED panels for future ipads and macBooks, as deposited dual-layer OLeds can provide screens with up to 10 years of life, and are much better than the single-layer OLeds currently used in phones, tablets, and other devices. The energy efficiency of two-layer OLeds could increase by 30 percent . LG was an early adopter of dual-layer OLED screen technology and is already supplying dual-layer OLED panels to the automotive industry. People don't change their cars nearly as often as they do their phones, computers or tablets, so double-layer OLeds are necessary.
In addition to LG, Samsung is also known to be working on 8.5-generation substrates, and may be able to get 8.5-generation OLED panels to market sooner than LG, since Samsung will be able to test them on a large scale with its own extensive product line. Samsung, however, is still developing its own dual-layer OLED technology, and LG's 8.5-generation line test could be completed as soon as this year, so LG could steal orders for OLED screens for Apple's larger devices, just as Samsung currently accounts for the bulk of orders for OLED iphones.
