Apple display suppliers tipped working on flexible OLED panels for a future iPhone
An Apple patent for a phone with curved display was recently unearthed, indicating that the company might be exploring that direction in the future, and securing it in the USPTO just in case, as it usually does. Unlike most of these patent filings, however, Apple might be actively pursuing devices with flexible OLED panels, tip insiders for a Korean publication.
Why Korea? Well, Samsung and LG account for the bulk of flexible OLED display research and production, while LG is one of Apple's screen suppliers, too. The source claims that "major Korean display manufacturers" are currently pitching the virtues of flexible screens to Apple, and LG has even scheduled a transformation for one of its LCD lines to be turned into an OLED-making enterprise.
Now, LG has its own devices with flexible displays, like the G Flex 2, plus it supplies the OLEDs for the Apple Watch, but where there's smoke, there might be fire. “It is very likely that the first flexible iPhone may be introduced in 2018, as Apple's top-tier display suppliers are working on it,” claims the source. Well, while 2018 might seem far away, Apple is known for waiting until a novel technology matures enough, and proves its mettle in terms of added value for the consumer, so, while it might not introduce a crazy bendy iPhone, it could use flexible OLED displays for their other virtues, like thinness and durability. What do you think?
Apple patent filing for a phone with curved display
source: BusinessKorea
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: