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MiniLED becoming mainstream finally, thanks to Apple
  • Singapore-based semiconductor packaging equipment vendor K&S has seen strong influx of orders for wire bonders for logic ICs and memory chips with delivery lead times extending to 6-9 months, and is optimistic that equipment demand for miniLED backlight applications may grow exponentially starting in 2021.

    Cheam estimates that miniLED applications will see exponential increases this year, as more brand vendors are moving to apply miniLED backlighting technology to a variety of devices including notebooks, tablets, desktops and TVs.

    Not bad, but remember - almost all manufacturers will be selecting cheapest led chips and made worst cooling possible (now around 90% of TVs failure is due to horrible led backlight cooling).

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  • TSMT, which manufactures backlighting for Mini-LED arrays, previously faced limitations related to printed circuit boards and adhesives in Mini-LED panels. Sources say that after changing the supplier of these components, the company was able to solve existing problems and establish the production of panels that meet Apple's quality requirements. Thus, Apple will have time to launch new mobile computers in the earlier scheduled time.

  • Global Lighting Technologies will only begin shipping components for the upcoming MacBook Pro Mini-LED displays in the third quarter of this year. There are no details yet, but this information may indicate that it is not possible to wait for the release of new Apple laptops until the end of this year or the beginning of next.

  • Apple has started volume production for new miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro, with monthly shipments of the notebooks expected to arrive at 600,000-800,000 units during the period from August to November, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

  • Production for Apple's next-generation MacBook Pros is slow due to shortages of miniLED chips and other ICs and may require at least one month to ramp up to an appropriate pace, according to industry sources.

  • LED suppliers for Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro have said their shipments for the new model are on schedule, in response to recent reports about the shortage of related mini LED chips and other ICs, accoding to industry sources.

    Apple is likely to unveil miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro series in October or November 2021, with total shipments in 2021 estimated at nearly four million units, the sources said.

    Reportedly a main supplier for miniLED-backlit 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro, General Interface Solution (GIS) invested NT$5.0 billion (US$179 million) to expand production capacity for tablet-use touch modules at its factory in Chengdu, China, in first-half 2021.

  • Shipments of Apple's new iPad Pro and just-unveiled Macbook Pro series featuring miniLED displays are forecast to reach nearly 10 million units in 2021.

  • Apple is showing its preference for miniLED backlighting for high-end notebooks and tablets, and Apple is likely to adopt such backlighting for 13.3-inch MacBook Air to be launched in 2022, according to industry sources.

  • China-based panel maker BOE Technology in 2020 established a business unit for developing and producing miniLED fine-pitch displays and microLED displays.

  • Taiwan-based LED manufacturer Genesis Photonics has filed a lawsuit against Apple for patent infringement in Taiwan. Among the alleged infringements includes miniLED backlights in Apple's iPad Pro. The lawsuit could have a major impact on Apple plans.

    Rumors are that Apple already cancelled plans to use miniLED in new 27" Mac.

  • Monitor sales are still tiny

    TrendForce analysts have published the results of a market research on the Mini LED backlit monitor market. According to the results of the study, by the end of the current year, the supply of such monitors will reach 51,000 units. The leader here is Samsung, which holds more than half of the new market with just one model.

    The cost of a Mini LED monitor, according to TrendForce, ranges from $ 2,300 to $ 5,000, which is a lot: a model with a diagonal of 31.5 inches costs on average 4 to 8 times more expensive than a counterpart with traditional LED backlighting. Samsung has a 58% market share with the only Odyssey Neo G9, with a 49-inch gaming monitor with a 32: 9 aspect ratio. The second place with 29% of the market was taken by Dell, which specializes in products for a professional audience. The third was ASUS, which manufactures products for fans of computer games.

    In terms of display diagonals, situation is not very different: Samsung's only 49-inch monitor gained 58% share, while Dell and ASUS released more familiar 31.5-inch models, which took 39% of the market, and the remaining 3% accounted for on the 27-inch model. TrendForce analysts are confident that the Mini LED backlit monitor market will continue to grow in the coming year, reaching 65,000 units shipped, representing a 27% increase.