Apple Watch Ultra
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Less than a month after Apple abandoned its plans for the Apple Car, the tech giant has decided to abandon its initiative to develop its own microLED screens for the Apple Watch.
The project, first discovered in 2023, was intended to reduce the company's dependence on partners such as Samsung and LG. The company even built its own screen production facility in Santa Clara, California, near Apple Park.
The company would replace the OLED display produced by Samsung with its own microLED. Then Apple would likely bring the screens to other devices, such as the iPhone.
However, the cost and complexity of the project were considered untenable, and the project was scrapped, sources told Bloomberg. The screens are difficult to produce in sufficient quantities, and the company continued to rely on external partners to handle mass production challenges.
According to the report, Apple has cut dozens of positions and is restructuring teams responsible for developing displays. The company also cut positions in the Santa Clara manufacturing center.
In early February, there were rumors that Apple had postponed or canceled the Apple Watch project with micro-LEDs. Friday's news comes after longtime Apple supplier Osram told its investors that a major customer had canceled orders for micro-LEDs for wearable devices.
Current Apple Watch screens cost Apple about $38 apiece. Apple's rumored production modeling and production volume estimates meant the Apple Watch Ultra 3's microLED screen would cost $150 to make.
Other microLED projects are reported to have remained untouched. However, the timing remains unclear.
In February, Apple abandoned Project Titan, the code name it used to refer to the development of its own electric car. Many employees called the ten-year project an inevitable failure and a “titanic disaster.”
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