OLED panel production issues could lead Apple to unveil iPad Pro (2024) in March, ship it in April

OLED panel production issues could lead Apple to unveil iPad Pro (2024) in March, ship it in April،

So, when will we see the new iPad Pro (2024) and iPad Air (2024) lines revealed and released? There appears to be some controversy over this issue, with some calling for the unveiling and release to take place on March 26 and others, including Bloomberg's Apple Beat writer Mark Gurman, calling for a launch later in April . The only thing both sides can agree on is that Apple will not hold an event to welcome the new tablets and will resort to publishing a press release on its Apple Newsroom website.

But perhaps there is a happy medium. Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) dropped a note that was seen by AppleInsider. In that note, DSCC said the tablets could still be unveiled in late March or early April, but due to the problems Apple is currently having sourcing displays from its suppliers, shipments to customers won't happen until later. late in April.

Here's what's happening. Initially, Samsung Display and LG Display were going to share the task of producing 11.1-inch OLED panels for the iPad Pro. LG Display will reportedly supply the 12.9-inch OLED panels for Apple's high-end tablet. However, due to high prices, Samsung Display would be the only 11.1-inch OLED display supplier. Driving up the price, the 11.1-inch OLED panels were the first for a tablet to include low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technology for a dynamic refresh rate.

iPad Air (2024) will have a 10.9-inch variant and for the first time a 12.9-inch variant will be added

Other design options, such as tandem stacks and glass thinning, reduced yield, which also increased the cost of production. DSCC's latest investigation shows that LG Display is supplying Apple with 11.1-inch OLED panels while Samsung is unable to supply Apple with the required quantity of 12.9-inch OLED panels.

April production of 12.9-inch displays expected to be 22% higher than March figures; the planned production of the 11.1-inch screens should have been double that expected. Thus, Samsung Display and LG Display will need to significantly increase production of their 11.1-inch panels so that Apple is able to meet demand for the smaller variant of the iPad Pro (2024); the range will be the first iPad in history equipped with OLED screens.

Higher prices for OLED displays have forced Apple to add a second 12.9-inch iPad Air model in case consumers want a large tablet but don't want to pay what could be an incredibly high price for the iPad 12.9-inch OLED. Professional model. DSCC, which has an exceptional track record when it comes to display-related rumors, claims that LCD screens for the 12.9-inch iPad Air began shipping in December.

Given DSCC's history, we'd say there's a very good chance that the iPad Air (2024) series will include a version with a 10.9-inch LCD screen and a new, larger model with a 12.9-inch LCD screen despite cries of a leak. from the roof last week that such a variant does not exist.