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New Apple devices +1

15:06 21-Mar-16


The Apple event is over and, of course, it neither confirms nor denies my theory on screens.  That will have to wait until next month, as new 4" iPhone and 9.7" iPad models become available on March 31st.  There are some clues though.  Both the True and Night Shift features of these devices offer color adjustments that sound very similar to the functionality that DisplayMate has been citing as a differentiating factor in Samsung's AMOLED screens.  Furthermore, Apple claims "Incredible battery improvements"  for the new iPhone.  When I consider that together with the darker screen shots glimpsed in the presentation, I think my theory istill has life.

What would be a real coup, though, is to see an AMOLED screen on the new 9.7" iPad.  The side-by-side screen shot of it with 12.9" model seems to show the better contrast that is the hallmark of AMOLEDs, but this is a reach on my part. 

Mostly, though, the event confirmed what we already knew:
I'd say that both of these developments bode well for InvenSense, but that would be ignoring history.  Instead, I'll look for tear downs of these devices next month, and statements from screen suppliers in the meantime.

On 03/21/2016 12:30 PM, Esekla wrote:
As most of you probably already know, Apple is set to unveil new devices at 1pm EST.  In Korea, ET News has reported that Apple has already signed an agreement with Samsung to supply AMOLED screens, however the volumes mentioned don't make much sense for Apple's phone volumes.  I continue to think there is a slim chance that Apple will announce a premium-priced, limited volume, 4" iphone with these screens.  The other possibilities is that Apple simply intends to build inventory over a period of months, or that the report is simply wrong, which happens all to often from such sources.

I think the real, actionable take-aways here are:
  • that LG Display, or possibly AU Optronics would be, by far, the most likely secondary suppliers
  • that Universal Display may be running up on speculation related to this event
I would see the second bullet point as an a potential exit point, despite the continued hype.  The latest video from UDC can't even get the facts straight (doppants do not emit light, emitters do) and OLED has already shown vulnerability in the face of disappointment.

On the other hand, suppliers would certainly wait until after this event before talking about any new agreements event indirectly.  So press releases from any of the companies involved could generate further upside for LPL or AUO, both of which have dividends coming