Did Apple kill the MicroLED industry?
Apple terminated microLED smartwatch projects, impacting team members and Ams-OSRAM. Industry may shift focus to automotive and AR due to OLED advancements. Ams-OSRAM remains stable, while Taiwan emerges as microLED hub.
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Apple has reportedly terminated its microLED smartwatch projects, leading to the layoff of most project team members. Ams-OSRAM, the fab partner, faces a non-cash impairment due to the project cancellation. The microLED industry may need to refocus on applications like automotive and AR to survive. Yole Group's analysts suggest that Apple's decision was influenced by OLED advancements, diminishing microLED's value proposition. Despite the setback, ams-OSRAM is expected to weather the storm with its diverse product lines and financial stability. The industry's center is shifting to Taiwan, with companies like AUO and PlayNitride taking the lead in microLED development. While Apple's exit may slow microLED demand, ams-OSRAM could leverage its expertise and facilities for other applications. The industry is not dead, and companies like OSRAM may find new opportunities in the evolving microLED landscape.
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8 commentsSure you don’t get the large funding that Apple can give. But killed? The article even says they spent $3 billion on it. So they funded it quite a bit.
At least from the outside, it appears the equipment to cut LED dies up, then place them on sheets of glass in an alternating R-G-B pattern, then sandwich another piece of glass on top, with both pieces of glass having row/column ITO conductors on, doesn't look really costly.
Sure - it's more than a hobbiest could do in a garage, but any reasonably funded university lab would have the equipment to do that.
Certainly less complex than OLED if you are starting from scratch.
Hence, I really don't see what is stopping there being a flurry of startups trying to get into the microLED screen business.
In fact, I forsee the hardest thing for a startup would be the row/column driver IC's, which I don't think the incumbent players will sell to you.
I wanted a flat 27" monitor that had good hdr capabilities but I wound up going with a bog standard ips panel because working from home means I'm using it for productivity 10-12h / day. There's no way that usage wouldn't burn in an oled in a couple years.
It’s entire purpose is to make the investors rich in the short term without thinking about long term issues PE firms do this all of the time in the US
> It’s worth remembering that back in October 2023, ams OSRAM signed a $420 million sale-and-lease-back agreement with a pool of three Malaysian pension funds. OSRAM was retaining ownership of the equipment, selling the building, and leasing it back from the investors, with an option to buy it back in ten years.
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