Apple eyes potential curved iPhone for 2017
Smartphone maker Apple may mark the tenth anniversary of the iPhone next year by introducing a version of its trademark device with a curved screen, one of the company's suppliers has said.
Apple Inc.
$165.00
13:04 19/04/24
Dow Jones I.A.
37,986.40
04:30 15/10/20
Nasdaq 100
17,037.65
12:15 19/04/24
Apple has been struggling with poor sales growth for its iPhones, in the face of a heavily saturated market, and the pressure is on the California-based group to mark a decade of its phones with a new catch for its customers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, an iPhone with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen may hit the shelves as early as next year but the release of the new phone is not yet confirmed.
OLED screens differ from the traditional use of liquid crystal for smartphone screens, and are now said to be the favoured option as they are lighter and more flexible.
The US tech giant is reportedly stalling on the idea because it is still unclear whether they will become the mainstream screen for smartphone makers, and could be an expensive mistake, with some suggestions that OLED could be superseded by QLED screens, which use quantum dots for better power efficiency and better colour.
Apple would have to rely on Samsung for most of its screens, at least for the first stage of their development, but eventually would want a ramp up in production from the likes of LG Display, Japan Display and Sharp.
The people familiar with the matter quoted by WSJ said Sharp alone would need to spend more than $5bn in an attempt to meet the demand required by Apple.