Apple's next-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro will revert to an LCD display instead of adopting OLED panel technology, claims a controversial new report coming out of Asia.
It has been widely reported that Apple's next iPad Pro models will be the first Apple tablets to debut superior OLED panels, with rumors suggesting they will begin shipping around the middle of next year. That's not necessarily the case, according to a confusing new DigiTimes report.
The Taiwan-based outlet now claims Apple will in fact revert to using LCD backlighting for its upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro model, putting it on par with the existing 11-inch model.
The current 12.9-inch iPad Pro features a mini-LED display that Apple calls a "Liquid Retina XDR display," while the 11-inch variant uses an inferior LCD-based "Liquid Retina Display."
The report alleges that the high production cost of using mini-LED backlights in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has been a "hurdle for broader industry adoption," and that Apple's pivot back to conventional backlight technology "could be motivated by the company's focus on scalability and market penetration."
As a result of the component changes, production of the new 12.9-inch iPads could be postponed to "early 2024 at the latest," having originally been slated to start in "early November," adds DigiTimes.
Several things don't add up in this latest report. As covered previously by MacRumors, DigiTimes on Thursday alluded to the same report in its "Before Going to Press" section by claiming that a forthcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air may feature LCD backlighting as opposed to the mini-LED backlighting used in the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
However, the fully published report no longer mentions this alleged larger "12.9-inch iPad Air," and simply makes a passing reference to "a new iPad Air" that will also use traditional LCD backlighting like the next iPad Pro.
To add to the confusion, the full article appears to contradict itself by repeating widely reported claims that "Apple might launch a new iPad Pro with AMOLED displays earliest in 2024, sourcing mainly from Samsung Display and LG Display." Whether the OLED model is meant to be in addition to the alleged 12.9-inch iPad Pro with LCD display previously mentioned is simply not specified.
Leaving aside the inconsistencies in the above claims, if the next 12.9-inch iPad Pro reverted from mini-LED to traditional LCD panel technology, it would be considered a major regression for Apple's most premium tablet offering, especially given that OLED display technology is perhaps the most anticipated upgrade coming to the next-generation iPad Pro models.
Given the contradictions in DigiTimes' reporting, not to mention its history for misinterpreting supply chain information, this claim alone should be taken with a large grain of salt until other sources can corroborate it.
