Apple’s new Mini LED products have progress. Analysts estimate that from the second quarter of this year, Apple’s new stand-alone display will adopt the Mini LED architecture; from the fourth quarter of 2020, the iPads and MacBooks with Mini LED are expected to be unveiled.

Ming-Chi Kuo pointed out on April 8 that high-end smartphones generally support Wide Color Gamble (WIG) and high contrast. It is expected that the support of WCG and high contrast of high-end medium- and large-sized products will become an important difference in future products.

Kuo believes that Apple’s medium- and large-sized products are mainly positioned as productivity tools; therefore, compared with OLEDs, Mini LEDs with longer life and no branding problems are more suitable for the WCG or high contrast technology.

 Kuo estimates that Apple will launch 31.6" standalone displays with the Mini LED backlight module, iPads of 10" to 12", and new MacBooks of 15" to 17" respectively in the second quarter to the third quarter of this year, the fourth quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021, and the first quarter to the second quarter of 2021.

 Kuo speculates that the 31.6" stand-alone display will employ a Mini-LED-like architecture, while the new iPad and MacBook will employ the real Mini LED technology.

 The 31.6" stand-alone display is expected to be positioned as a very high-end model, whose shipment will have limited contribution to the supply chain. However, with the experience of producing the 31.6" stand-alone display, Apple and the supply chain are expected to improve key design and production technologies, which will facilitate the commercialization of the future Mini LED iPad and MacBook.

Through observations of the related supply chains, Kuo expects that Epistar, Japan’s Toyoda Gosei, and Radiant will be the biggest beneficiaries of the Mini LED for iPad and MacBook.

 The report expects that when the iPad and MacBook employs Mini LED, the LED supply will become tighter in the second quarter of 2020, and the price of the Mini LED backlight module for iPad and MacBook is expected to be significantly higher than the current backlight module.

Source：CNA