MacBook Pro OLED displays on track amid talk of delayed launch

We’ve long expected a major redesign of the MacBook Pro this year, with an OLED display among the key features. However, a Bloomberg a report last month suggested the launch could be delayed until early next year.

We still don’t have clarity on this, but a new supply chain report seems to suggest that Apple’s manufacturing partners are now preparing for production…

A new M6 MacBook Pro should offer much more than a performance boost. We expect to see the first major overhaul of the machine in many years.

The redesign is expected to include a lighter and thinner form factor, a Dynamic Island instead of a notch, an OLED display and, reportedly, a touchscreen. It has also been suggested that there could be a cellular option.

Existing MacBook Pro models still use an IPS LCD display, but with a mini-LED backlight creating greater control and contrast than previous generations. The move to OLED will bring MacBooks in line with the improved screen technology already used on iPhones and iPads.

Supplier prepares for mass production

We are planning a launch at the end of this year, although a recent Bloomberg The report cast a little doubt on this.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports in his newsletter today that Apple is facing some production issues due to industry-wide memory shortages. Supply constraints mean the MacBook Pro launch is slightly delayed and may not arrive until early next year.

However, a supply chain report published in The Elect says Samsung is preparing for mass production of the display. He says the company now reliably meets the required quality standards.

Samsung Display will begin mass production of 8.6 generation OLED panels no earlier than next month. The produced panels are expected to be used in Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models. The volume of this year’s supply is estimated at around 2 million units.

They report estimates that the displays could begin shipping to Apple’s assembly partners in about two months.

Making OLED panels to Apple’s exacting quality requirements for laptop-sized laptops is significantly trickier than making screens for iPhones and iPads. At the beginning of production, the failure rate can be very high. Even in final production, Samsung still expects a failure rate of around 5%. The current rate would be between 5 and 10%.