Poor OLED panel production yields may be at least partially behind the delay in the launch of Apple’s new iPad Pro launch, according to reports coming out of Korea.
Apple had originally planned to rely on two separate OLED display providers for the upcoming revamped iPad Pro lineup, with Samsung Display exclusively producing 11-inch panels and LG Display responsible for the 13-inch panels.
Industry insiders had said the split between the two suppliers was 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. Both suppliers are reportedly still wrestling with Apple’s requirement for new panel technologies. Which reportedly concentrates on “unrivaled” display quality, as well as a design that cuts down on the thickness and weight of its iPad Pro models.
While some reports had indicated that the new iPad Pro models could hit shelves as early as this month, Korean news outlet site hankooki.com, Samsung has faced poor yields of the 11-inch OLED panels, and it has been unable to meet Apple’s order quantity. This has led Apple to move some orders for the smaller panel over to LG Display.
LG Display is now likely to supply 60% of the panels for the upcoming iPad Pro models. The company has invested millions of dollars into its sixth-generation small- and medium-sized OLED production line and has met Apple’s quality control standards for the larger panels.
Apple will debut new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. Gurman had previously predicted we’d see new iPads sometime in March, then April, and now it looks like the release date has been pushed back again.
We’re expecting to see several new and updated features when the new iPad Pros debut, including an M3 chip, a thinner profile, a landscape front camera, a revamped rear camera, and possibly MagSafe charging. A revamped Magic Keyboard and an updated Apple Pencil are expected to debut alongside the new iPad Pro models.
As for the iPad Air, many expect Apple to introduce a 12.9-inch model for the first time.