Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) is accelerating its product line OLED strategy. MacBook Air and iPad series will soon receive high-end display upgrades.

Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) is preparing to make major upgrades to its MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPad Air product lines, planning to include high-end displays for these popular devices. According to sources, the company is testing new versions of these three products, all of which will use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens. This technology can display richer colors and deeper contrast compared to current liquid crystal displays (LCD). Sources say that the iPad mini may be the first of the three devices to receive the upgrade, with a version featuring an OLED screen expected to be released as early as next year. This display upgrade is part of Apple Inc.'s transition to OLED technology, providing consumers with a new reason to upgrade their devices. Although sales of Mac and iPad are expected to grow this year, they are still lower than the levels seen in 2021 and 2022, when the pandemic led to a surge in computer purchases that drove sales of these two products to record highs. This technology transition is expected to result in higher product prices. The upgraded version of the iPad mini, codenamed J510, may see a price increase of $100 due to the use of the more expensive display technology. In addition, Apple Inc. is testing a redesigned waterproof casing, giving it the same waterproof capabilities as recent iPhones. To complement this design upgrade, Apple Inc. is exploring a new speaker system using vibration-related technology. This change allows the company to eliminate speaker apertures that could potentially let water in. Unlike the waterproof design of the iPhone, which retains speaker apertures but prevents damage by adding sealant and adhesive. The last update for the iPad mini was at the end of 2024, when it was equipped with a faster processor and support for Apple Inc.'s Apple Intelligence platform. It is worth noting that these upgrade plans are not final and may be subject to change or delay, as is common in the product development process. Earlier reports indicated that the development of the 18-inch folding screen iPad by Apple Inc. has been delayed until 2029. A spokesperson for Apple Inc., headquartered in Cupertino, California, declined to comment on this matter. The new generation of iPad Air, set to be released next spring, will still use an LCD screen, but Apple Inc. has plans to switch to OLED display technology in subsequent iterations. The recently updated iPad Pro with the M5 chip became the first to use an OLED screen in May 2024. At least for now, the iPad Air will be the last device in Apple Inc.'s tablet product line to complete this technology transition. Apple Inc. currently has no concrete plans to upgrade its entry-level iPad to an OLED screen. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro will be the first Mac computer to feature an OLED screen in the next redesign. Apple Inc. has also started preliminary research and development work for its most popular notebook computer, the MacBook Air, which will also adopt this technology in the future, although this upgrade is not expected to be earlier than 2028. In the spring of 2026, the current MacBook Air will be upgraded with the M5 chip, while the display screen will remain LCD. The industry as a whole is still in the early stages of transitioning to OLED technology. Most tablets and laptops still rely on LCD screens, with only high-end products like the iPad Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 using OLED technology. Apple Inc. first adopted OLED technology in the Apple Watch in 2015, and later applied it to the smartphone sector with the iPhone X in 2017. Earlier this year, Apple Inc. introduced the iPhone 16e to replace the iPhone SE, discontinuing the last non-OLED screen iPhone model. The display screen of its Vision Pro headset uses a derivative OLED technology called micro-OLED, which offers advantages such as high pixel density, high integration, and small size, making it suitable for immersive devices.