appmarsh

Tuesday, 29 September 2020

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.

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

Tag: Mini-LED

Buyer's Guide: 11" iPad Pro (Neutral), 12.9" iPad Pro (Neutral)

This article, "DigiTimes: 12.9-inch Mini-LED iPad Pro Arriving Early 2021, Mini-LED MacBook Coming Later" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/36inKtc

iPhone 12 Production Lines at Foxconn's Zhengzhou Factory in China Running '24 Hours a Day'

Apple contract manufacturer Foxconn is running its massive Zhengzhou factory in China 24 hours a day to produce the new iPhone 12, according to Chinese media reports.

Apple's main iPhone manufacturer in China is said to be cancelling workers' holidays and introducing mandatory overtime with additional bonuses for longer-serving staff, according to information garnered from employees, recruitment ads, and local media.

The factory’s ‌iPhone‌ assembly unit has reportedly offered a 10,000 yuan ($1,466) bonus for any worker who started after September 18, stays for at least 90 days and works at least 55 days. For people who joined after September 26, the bonus was 8,500 yuan ($1,246).

Many employees have also been asked to cancel upcoming holidays around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day this week to ensure timely delivery of the new ‌iPhone‌, initial shipments of which are rumored to be going out to distributors on October 5, with Apple's iPhone-centric event rumored to follow on October 13.

The dates are later than usual for Apple, owing to production delays because of the global health crisis. But as with any other year, Foxconn needs as many hands on deck as possible at its factory in Zhengzhou to assist with mass production of the upcoming iPhones.

Apple is widely expected to announce four ‌‌iPhone 12‌‌ models, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model, all with OLED displays and 5G connectivity. The more affordable 5.4 and 6.1-inch devices are expected set to ship out ahead of the more expensive 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch Pro devices, which are believed to be coming in November.

For everything we expect from the ‌‌iPhone 12‌‌ lineup, read our in-depth roundup.

Related Roundup: iPhone 12

This article, "iPhone 12 Production Lines at Foxconn's Zhengzhou Factory in China Running '24 Hours a Day'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/36hm3Mk

Watch Tonight's Debate Between Trump and Biden on YouTube, Facebook, and More

The first of three presidential debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is being held today in Ohio starting at 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT. And if you’re looking for livestreams on YouTube, Facebook, and more, we’ve got you covered with the links below.

Lenovo Finally Jumped the Shark on Wireless Earbuds with the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2

With companies continuing to push people towards wireless audio this was an inevitability. Today Lenovo took things to their natural conclusion with the ThinkBook 15 Gen 2, which is the world’s first laptop to feature a pair of built-in wireless earbuds.

Leaker: 'iPhone 12 mini' and iPhone 12 Storage Capacities Start at 64GB, Pro Models at 128GB

Rumors suggest Apple's iPhone 12 launch event will be held on October 13, with the more affordable 5.4 and 6.1-inch devices set to ship out ahead of the more expensive 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch Pro devices, and this morning hit-and-miss leaker Jon Prosser has further committed to that date by providing alleged details on Apple's first shipment of finalized ‌iPhone 12‌ units.

Prosser claims the initial shipment of ‌iPhone 12‌ units will go out to distributors on October 5 in advance of the launch event, and this will include the 5.4-inch ‌iPhone 12‌ "mini" – which he says is "definitely the final marketing name" – and the lower end 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 12‌ model. Prosser asserts that the two higher-end Pro models will be announced at the same event but will ship later in November.

Prosser also claims that the more affordable models will come in 64, 128, and 256GB storage capacities, which conflicts with a claim he made in May that Apple's ‌iPhone 12‌ lineup will start with 128GB of storage. Prosser's explanation for the earlier misinformation is that it was given "well before even the [production validation test] ‌iPhone 12‌ units had started," and in fact it is only the ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro Max that will start at 128GB.

By changing his claims about storage capacities, Prosser has aligned himself with proven leaker L0vetodream, who said as early as May that the more affordable 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch devices will start with 64GB while the Pro devices will start with 128GB.

Don’t worry — ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro and Pro Max start at 128GB 🤗
— ‌Jon Prosser‌ (@jon_prosser) September 29, 2020

Prosser is a leaker with a mixed track record when it comes to Apple's plans. In August 2020, he claimed new Apple Watch and iPad models would be introduced via press releases. In September 2020, Prosser even narrowed down the day of these press releases to Tuesday, September 8, but no products were announced that day. Instead, Apple sent out invites to its "Time Flies" event, where it did introduce new Apple Watch and ‌iPad‌ models a week later.

Earlier this month, however, Prosser was accurate when he said an eighth-generation ‌iPad‌ and a lower-priced Apple Watch model would be unveiled at Apple's "Time Flies" event, but no new iPhones or AirPods Studio headphones.

Related Roundup: iPhone 12

Tag: Jon Prosser

This article, "Leaker: 'iPhone 12 mini' and iPhone 12 Storage Capacities Start at 64GB, Pro Models at 128GB" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2G8Sx0H