In April, an Apple rumor pointed out that the company would have launched Mini LED backlight product in the second half of 2019 and Mini LED iPad as well as Macbook since the end of 2020. In June, we have seen Apple presented its Pro Display XDR based on LED backlight display which is similar to Mini LED backlight technology but not the same. Now, Apple was said again that it will launch iPad and MacBook adopting Mini LED displays.
The rumor said that the Mini LED based iPad and MacBook will use about 10,000 LED chips that are smaller than 200µm. Considering the current high cost of Mini LED, these products will become high-end “Pro models.”
Since Mini LED based display will require a large number of chips, Taiwan-based LED chip maker Epistar was reportedly the Mini LED chip supplier Apple. Epistar possesses solid capability in Mini LED manufacture and has begun shifting its Mini LED products since 2H18. The company developed proprietary technologies for miniaturized LED transfer and built integration manufacture process for Mini LEDs covering chip design to transferring and bonding techniques.