Apple is expected to launch 12.9-inch mini LED-backlit iPad Pro in early 2021 and the company will also launch a mini LED-backlit MacBook Pro in second-half 2021, according to supply chain sources, DigiTimes reports.
Siu Han and for Adam Hwang DigiTimes:
Osram Opto Semiconductors is expected to supply backlight-use mini LED for high-end MacBook in second-half 2021, becoming Apple’s second supplier of such chips next to Taiwan-based Epistar, according to industry sources.
Apple will also launch mini LED-backlit high-end MacBook in second-half 2021, will seek additional suppliers of mini LEDs to secure stable supply, the sources said. As a supplier of backlight-use LEDs for Apple Watch and iPhone, Osram Opto is expected to become another supplier of MacBook-use mini LEDs, and set up initial monthly production capacity of 100 million mini LEDs at its plant in Malaysia, the sources indicated.
China-based Sanan Optoelectronics’s mini LEDs are also being validated by Apple, the sources said.
MacDailyNews Take: The report notes that costs for mini LED backlighting is at least 20-30% higher than that for regular LED backlighting, but, for Apple’s Macs, the company will be enjoying significant savings by upgrading to Apple silicon, offsetting the higher mini LED costs.
