Apple Inc. is secretly working in a production laboratory in Longtan, Taiwan, an infrastructure used by Qualcomm in the past. The iPhone maker is reportedly developing a low-power and distinctive display technology called Interferometric Modulator Display. The lab is where Qualcomm tried to develop Mirasol, its own display, reported AppleInsider.
It has been in Apple's DNA to make longer-lasting and slimmer iPhones and iPads with each generation. Its iPhones and iPads help the company drive $178 billion in yearly sales.
Apple uses LCD displays on its iOS devices and Mac; and OLED screen for its wearable. Bloomberg reported that "thinner, brighter, lighter and more energy-efficient products" are in the works inside the lab. The lab has 50 engineers, at least, and has talents from Qualcomm and AU Optronics Corporation.
The workers in the lab will not say a thing about the owner of the facility. There are no signages, just an Apple logo, and an iMac in the reception area. However, a staff was observed to have Apple ID badges and the building is registered to Apple Inc. Taiwan.
Apple Inc. working for IMOD in Taiwan creates speculations that the Cupertino colossus plans not to rely less on its tech suppliers like Sharp, Japan Display Inc., LG and Samsung. It could be that it wants its production processes to be within its premises and outsource to smaller manufacturers.
Qualcomm's Mirasol used a different technology compared to LCD and OLED. LCD displays an image by placing liquid crystals and shine a light through them while the OLED uses diodes for an illuminated image and create deeper blacks as there is no need for a backlight.
The IMOD technology uses microscopic elements akin to a mirror which can reflect the light of a certain color. It does not need a backlight and only uses energy when switched on and off. When an image is already created, there is no need to refresh or retain it, just like the E-Ink technology applied in E-readers like Kindle. Just like the E-Ink, the IMOD maintains visibility even in direct sunlight, unlike OLED and LCD.
IMOD uses small and mirror-like elements called micro-electro-mechanical system aka "micro-machine" or MEMS. The downside of IMOD is it appears to produce unsaturated and flat colors.
