Japan Display – the joint small panel venture between Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi – has announced that it will begin to mass produce OLED panels in 2018.
JDI CEO Mitsuru Homma. Image: ReutersThe company will take advantage of its “advanced thin-film transistor technology”, JDI research centre chief Akio Takimoto told reporters, as it aims to catch up with LG and Samsung.
The news comes amidst rumours that Apple will adopt OLED technology for its iPhone displays. These most recently surfaced in October, with a rumour that Samsung Display had signed a supply deal with Apple (Apple Agrees Supply Deal With Samsung).
Adding to the speculation is the news, which broke in April, that Apple is apparently considering a supply deal with JOLED for medium-size OLED panels for its iPad line (Rumour: Apple Takes on JOLED for iPad). JOLED is a spin-off unit of JDI, launched with Sony and Panasonic to focus on mid-size OLED displays.
Analyst Comment
We agree with Ron Mertens, of OLED-Info: Apple would be likely to prefer a partnership with Japan Display for OLED panels over LG or Samsung, whose electronics businesses are rivals in the smartphone market place. (TA)
