Apple is reportedly testing new OLED microdisplay suppliers to increase production scale for future Vision headsets.
多个消息源，包括《The Information》、《金融时报》和韩国新闻机构《The Elec》报道称，由于其唯一的OLED微显示器供应商索尼的有限生产能力，苹果的首款头戴设备VisionPro的供应受限。
These reports suggest that Apple may only be able to ship 500,000 Vision Pro headsets in 2024, so the product will debut at a slower pace in the United States. These production limitations may also be one of the important reasons for its $3,500 price tag.
Wayne Ma of The Information now reports that Apple is testing OLED microdisplays from two Chinese companies, BOE and SeeYa Technology. If the samples meet Apple's standards, the components could be used in Vision Pro successors as well as cheaper, non-Pro Vision headsets said to launch around 2026.
OLED microdisplays are fabricated directly on silicon wafers, a process that is very different from smartphone or TV-sized OLED panels. While the technology itself is not new, it is mainly used only in low-volume products like high-end camera viewfinders and some industrial smart glasses. Mass production of OLED microdisplays only began this year.
Two PC-based SteamVR headsets launched this year use 2560×2560 OLED microdisplays, namely the $1,000 Bigscreen Beyond and the $1,700 Shiftall MeganeX.
Beyond's display comes from SeeYa Technology, one of the companies Apple is said to be in talks with. But the Sony-supplied microdisplay used in Vision Pro has a higher pixel density. Apple said the two displays have a total of 23 million pixels, which is equivalent to 3680×3140 pixels according to the 7:6 aspect ratio shown in the marketing.
Chinese suppliers aren't the only potential alternatives to Sony's microdisplays. In 2021, LG announced that it would develop 3K and 4K OLED microdisplays for VR; in May this year, Samsung announced the acquisition of the American microdisplay company eMagin, which is also developing a VR device equipped with a 4K OLED microdisplay and calls it XR The device has "huge potential for growth." Mark Zuckerberg's company has reportedly been in talks with LG and Samsung to acquire microdisplays for its own future headsets and glasses.
Apple's introduction of a new OLED microdisplay supplier may significantly increase the production scale of the Vision Pro headset, thereby lowering the price of the product. However, high-yield manufacturing of OLED microdisplays remains difficult, so it remains unclear which companies can supply them on a large scale while meeting the quality standards of companies like Apple.
EN_US 
ZH