DigiTimes: 12.9-inch Mini-LED iPad Pro Arriving Early 2021, Mini-LED MacBook Coming Later

Apple will launch a 12.9-inch mini LED-backlit iPad Pro in early 2021 and a mini LED-backlit MacBook in the second-half of next year, according to DigiTimes.

iPad Pro Mini LED Article
The Taiwan-based industry publication claims Epistar will supply the over-10,000 mini LEDs used in each ‌iPad Pro‌ tablet. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to recruit Osram Opto as another supplier of mini LEDs for use in a new "high-end" MacBook, which lines up with supplier information cited by respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Osram Opto Semiconductors is expected to supply backlight-use mini LED for high-end MacBook in second-half 2021, becoming Apple's second supplier of such chips next to Taiwan-based Epistar, according to industry sources.

Apple is expected to launch 12.9-inch mini LED-backlit iPad Pro in early 2021, with each tablet to use over 10,000 mini LEDs solely supplied by Epistar, the sources said. Epistar is ready to start production of mini LEDs by modifying its blue-light LED chipmaking equipment for producing such mini LEDs in third-quarter 2020, the sources noted.

Kuo has long predicted that a high-end 12.9-inch ‌‌iPad Pro‌‌ would likely be Apple's first mini-LED product. Kuo believes that production will begin on mini-LED displays for the ‌iPad Pro‌ in the fourth quarter of 2020, though a launch may not come until next year.

Kuo has said a mini-LED version of a 16-inch MacBook Pro is in the works for a possible late 2020 release, and that Apple is also working on a mini-LED 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, although he hasn't provided launch information for the latter beyond suggesting there are several mini-LED devices in the works for 2021. According to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, Apple suppliers won't begin competing to win manufacturing orders for new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with mini-LED displays until the first quarter of 2021.

Kuo has previously said that mini-LED displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones. Mini-LED displays, which use on the order of 1,000 to 10,000 individual LEDs, can offer deeper, darker blacks, brighter brights, richer colors, and better contrast compared to traditional LED-based displays, though the technology comes at a significant increase in cost for the time being.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, MacBook Pro 14 & 16"
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

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 ...
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...
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...
Apple Watch Series 9

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Tuesday July 16, 2024 7:59 am PDT by
Apple is seemingly planning a rework of the Apple Watch lineup for 2024, according to a range of reports from over the past year. Here's everything we know so far. Apple is expected to continue to offer three different Apple Watch models in five casing sizes, but the various display sizes will allegedly grow by up to 12% and the casings will get taller. Based on all of the latest rumors,...
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...

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
50 months ago

A14x. Beast.

iPad. Want. One.

Azrael.
Yeah. It. Looks. Pretty. Cool.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
50 months ago
This can't be true - do you honestly think that they will make a newer, faster and improved iPad next year? This is a bold prediction, really risking their necks on this one.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
k1ckdapro Avatar
50 months ago

Whenever it is, I got no choice but to wait. My 2017 iPad Pro is doing ok but I was saving up for a 12.9" Pro, and the 2020 update was such a total snoozer. Not going to pony up the premium for 1 extra core and a Lidar sensor I'm never going to use. So, better sooner than later!
I have a 2017 iPad Pro 12.9 and see no reason to upgrade it. Still works like a charm.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mariusfanu Avatar
50 months ago

Should I buy MacBook Pro 16" now? Or wait for the Mini-LED display version?
If you can wait I'd wait... The current version is a bit old ?‍♂️
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vyspirit Avatar
50 months ago
Should I buy MacBook Pro 16" now? Or wait for the Mini-LED display version?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J___o___h___n Avatar
50 months ago

Now let’s see if Apple is smart enough to put the front camera in the right spot this time for the iPad
Totally agreed. I am constantly holding it the wrong way around and moving my head like a fool trying to find if its on the left or the right - and it's always on the side that has my thumb right over it.

I choose to use my iPad in Landscape mode always 100% of the time. I only switch to Portrait if an iPhone-app happens to open and I don't have an option.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)