Tag Archives: Apple

TDR accurately forecasted Apple AMOLED adoption time

September 18, 2014
Over a year ago, in this “Touch and Emerging Display report”, June 2013 issue, page 45, we forecasted “Apple will adopt AMOLED within 18 months”.
Now with the Apple Watch announced, our forecast becomes reality in 18 months.

Figure. We accurately forecasted Apple AMOLED adoption time

Source: Touch Display Research Inc., Sept, 2014

Touch Display Research has a good reputation of accurate forecast. In January 2013, Touch Display Research gave a presentation at the SID Bay Area one day conference, we forecasted “Samsung will release curved AMOLED on a device that is larger than 5” by end of 2013.” (SID Information Display chief editor Stephen Atwood wrote about our forecast in his article in Information Display Journal March 2013 issue.)

Figure. We accurately forecasted Samsung curved AMOLED device time

Source: Touch Display Research Inc., Sept, 2014

In October 2013, Samsung announced the Galaxy Round with curved AMOLED display. One month later, LG also announced the G Flex. Our forecast became reality in 9 months.

Sorry about tooting our own horn, but these are the facts. We are good at forecast.

Thanks for reading,
Jennifer and team

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with active pen

May 20, 2014
Today Microsoft announced their new tablet PC: Surface Pro 3. It’s an improvement version over the Surface Pro 2. Although both tablets are with active pen, Surface Pro 3 is 32% thinner at only 0.36 inch, while the Surface Pro 2 is 0.53 inch thick. How does Microsoft Surface group achieve the thinness? The answer is in the touch and active pen technology.
Figure. Surface Pro 3 with active pen

Source: Microsoft, May 2014

Simultaneous finger touch and pen writing are the ideal human machine interface. Active pen technology is superior to passive pen in terms of accuracy, pressure sensing, and input of fine line. In our recently released Active pen technologies supply chain and market forecast 2014 report, we forecast that active pen usage will have rapid growth in the next several years.
Touch Display Research’s “Active pen 2014 report” provides analysis of over a dozen digital pen technologies: nine active pen technologies and six passive pen technologies. All the Android and Windows devices with active pen are compared side by side in a single chart.
The attitude of leading brands toward active pen is analyzed. This includes Samsung, Sony, Intel, HP, Dell, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Apple. You can subscribe to the report right now on our website.

Thanks for reading,
Jennifer and team

Kent Displays’ successful story

May 16, 2014
I’m traveling in northern Ohio this week to speak at the FlexTech Alliance workshop. It’s good to be back in Ohio, since I got my Ph.D. from Kent State University in Ohio 14 years ago. Ohio is like my second home.
Kent Displays invited me to visit them during this trip. Right when I entered Kent Displays’ company lobby, there is a digital signage in the lobby, showing the message, “Welcome, Jennifer Colegrove, Enjoy your day.” I felt very special and took a picture of it. See figure here.

Figure. Kent Displays digital signage

Source: Kent Displays Inc. Photo by Jennifer Colegrove

The digital signage is using Kent Displays’ bi-stable LCD, which is called “zero power” display. The display doesn’t consume any power when showing a static image; only consume power when you change the image. It is operated with battery; no power plug needed.
I had a meeting with my old industry friends: Dr. Green, CEO of Kent Displays, and Dr. Khan, CTO of Kent Displays, and Mr. Oswald, communication director of Kent Displays. I also had a tour of their factory and discovered their success story of the Boogie Board.
Kent Displays make the Boogie Board from the flexible display to the final shipping box of the Boogie Board. In another words, they do the whole supply chain. Dr. Khan said, “In some sense, we are doing more than Apple.” That is a good comparison and its true. Apple doesn’t make the displays; rather they purchase the displays from LG, Samsung, Sharp, AUO, Japan Display, etc.
More analysis will be in our “Touch and Emerging Display” May 2014 report. You can subscribe to the report right now on this website.
Thanks for reading,
Jennifer and team

Apple on quantum dot display and lighting

February 13, 2014

Apple just filed several patent applications on quantum dot display and lighting recently, according to US Patent and Trademark office.

One patent application is about better display uniformity can be achieved with quantum dot diffuser and prism sheet. One patent application is using quantum dot with MEMS shutter module.

Touch Display Research surveyed many quantum dot suppliers and found that the quantum dot display component market already surpassed $70 million in 2013. We forecast that the quantum dot display and lighting component market will reach $9.6 billion by 2023.

Besides Apple, other major brands’ attitude to quantum dot was also analyzed in chapter 6 in the Quantum dot display and lighting technologies and market forecast report. Bill of material (BOM) analysis of quantum dot TV and tablet PC are in chapter 7 in the report.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

Apple curved OLED display potential suppliers

October 3, 2013

This week Korea news chosun.com reported a rumor that Apple’s iWatch will adopt a “plastic OLED”. It quoted an “industry source” said “Apple is developing three different models of the iWatch — a 1.3-inch, 1.4-inch and 1.5-inch prototype”.

Back in June 2013, Touch Display Research has forecasted that Apple will adopt AMOLED within 18 months.

Some of our industry friends asked me which company might be supplying plastic OLED to Apple. It is very challenge to get Apple’s insider information, but Touch Display Research believes that 7 companies could be the potential suppliers of flexible curved OLED display: Samsung Display Corp, LG Display, Futaba, AUO, Innolux, Sharp, NVO, etc.

Figure. Potential Suppliers of Flexible and Curved OLED Displays

Source: Touch Display Research, Flexible and curved display technologies and market forecast, September, 2013

As we covered last week, Samsung has announced to release a mobile phone with curved displays in October 2013. Here are the possibilities for Samsung’s curved display technologies.

Touch Display Research believes the eco-system for flexible and curved displays is maturing. We forecast that the flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023, which is about 16% market share of the global display revenue in 2023. More analysis of curved display and curved touch panel can be found in our newly published Flexible and Curved Display Technologies and Market Forecast 2013 report.