Apple Acquires Low-Power Display Company LuxVue Technology

Apple has purchased LuxVue Technology, a company that develops low-power microLED-based displays, reports TechCrunch, citing sources with knowledge of the acquisition. Micro-LEDs have the potential to improve battery life while offering brighter screens than competing technologies.

luxvue
Little is known about LuxVue, which appears to operate largely under the radar. The company appears to create LED displays that use little energy for use in various consumer electronic products. Back in December of 2013, LuxVue raised $25.2 million in funding for to pursue its micro-LED technology. The company has also filed several patents on micro-LEDs, and one of LuxVue's investors said the company had "a technical breakthrough in displays."

LuxVue's VP of technology, Kapil Sakariya, has ties to Apple, having previously worked as a Display Architect and iPhone Operations and Procurement Manager at Apple. Sakariya was employed at Apple from July of 2006 until November of 2011, when he joined LuxVue.

According to TechCrunch, Apple has made the acquisition to add to its hardware innovations area, which the company has been aiming to bolster in recent years to bring more of its production in-house. Last year, Apple acquired low-power wireless chip provider Passif Semiconductor and is said to be in talks to acquire Renesas SP Drivers, a division of Renesas Electronics that develops chips for smartphone displays.

Update: Apple has seemingly confirmed the purchase to TechCrunch, issuing its usual statement for such circumstances: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2

M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:58 am PDT by
Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Writing in his latest investor note on unny-opticals-2025-business-momentum-to-benefit-509819818c2a">Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company...

Top Rated Comments

TXCherokee Avatar
133 months ago


Heart rate? REM cycle? Who cares?

Actually, I care. But I don't care about having a 128GB iPhone. Personally, I like the cloud concept and prefer to have my (and my family's) devices in sync.

My point being that you shouldn't dismiss something just because of your preferences.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roland.g Avatar
133 months ago
Bigger screens that consume less power? Win.

Yes, but I think we are talking about significantly smaller screens. This would be potential iWatch tech. Doubtful it is for the iPhone.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrmjenkins Avatar
133 months ago
I do not think production is the adequate word, since they outsourcer that most of the time. It's just research, they want more patents :p
They bought what was essentially a startup still going through its rounds of funding and progress towards a consumable product. Apple must have seen immense promise in the technology they had and wanted to buy it for two reasons. The first is that under Apple, this company would have essentially a limitless R&D budget and their top guys wouldn't be concerned with wooing investors anymore. Second is that it keeps the technology out of the hands of their competitors.

The path forward would be for them to figure out how to produce it reliably and then contract a display company to make it for them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSteve-O Avatar
133 months ago
Looks like the iWatch will have 1.5" micro led and eventually move to 2.0" after 6 years. :rolleyes:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
paradox00 Avatar
133 months ago
Starting to think the iWatch will launch Spring 2015. As that portion of the year is currently empty of launches, if you go by the current release cycles.

What, then, is the "new category" of product that Tim promised this year? An Apple TV?

CloudPlay. A virtual iOS device operated on Apple's servers and accessed through a web browser or compatible device (internet enabled TV's for example). Think iCloud with its own app store and Apple's servers handling anything that can't be done natively through HTML5.

iTunes replaced with CloudPlay Offline, which allows your PC or Mac (or possibly even iOS and android devices) to act as a CloudPlay server on your local network.

Source: Pure speculation, but go to icloud.com and imagine if it had a music app, a photos app, and an app store to add more apps. Google put an OS in a browser, I think Apple will do it in a browser tab (as well as in a packaged program like iTunes). The Internet is the thing that's changed the least over time, has the greatest opportunity for innovation, and quite frankly, is the biggest area Apple needs to improve in. It complements all their products, and takes the high processing requirements away from low margin devices (like Apple TV), possibly even allowing Apple to enter new markets without ever creating a product for it. It makes sense, and would blindside everyone.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
duffmanth Avatar
133 months ago
Finally maybe a solution to the iPhone's ****** battery life?!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)