Sketchy Report Claims LG to Provide Flexible OLED Displays for Apple's iWatch

Monday January 20, 2014 7:30 am PST by Kelly Hodgkins

According to a report [Google Translate of cached version] from Korean publication Digital Daily that was published and then pulled (via G 4 Games), Apple has inked a deal with LG to provide flexible, plastic OLED displays for the company's iWatch product. LG is allegedly the sole supplier of the 1.52-inch panels for Apple's rumored smart watch device.

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Image from Apple's "bracelet" with wraparound display patent

LG is said to be starting mass production of these flexible panels starting in July 2014 with an initial target volume of 2 million units, and Apple chose these panels because they are thin, light, and provide adequate brightness with minimal power consumption, insiders claim. LG introduced the display technology in early 2013 and incorporated the panel in its curved LG G Flex smartphone, which was unveiled in October of last year.

Besides a flexible display, other rumors have suggest the iWatch will be launched in the second half of 2014 with wireless charging as a possible feature. OLED has been a commonly rumored technology for the iWatch, but other sources have pointed to different display sizes for the device, including the possibility of separate sizes in the 1.3-inch and 1.6-inch ranges for men and women.

Apple is said to be continuing to work through issues with battery life, display technology, and manufacturing on the iWatch, with the device said to feature biosensors and mapping features and run a "full" version of iOS.

The reason for the removal of today's report about the claimed deal with LG is unclear, and with no rumor track record for Digital Daily it is difficult to assess the reliability of the claims.

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Tag: Digital Daily

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Top Rated Comments

3282868

166 months ago

Nice. Now produce a paper thin, OLED "newspaper" that changes with headlines and can be rolled up, and I'm sold.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

downpour

166 months ago

I'm probably not going to buy one of these, but I'm looking forward to seeing a new Apple product that looks futuristic and groundbreaking again.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

KdParker

166 months ago

Looking forward to the design possibilties that could come from flexible display. :)

Hopefully we will not have to wait until 2016 and beyond.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

IJ Reilly

166 months ago

Why wouldn't it be? iMac, iBook, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes, iWork, iLife, iMovie, iBook, iCal, iTV (never mind the fact that the last two + the iBook were later renamed) - do you doubt that the first letter of the name will be 'i'? And Apple has rarely made up the main word of the product... Mac came from Macintosh and Cal from Calendar, so neither of those were really made up - just shortened. Pod is the only word they really made up (or at least seems unrelated to the product.) So "Watch" seems like a reasonable guess. "Time" or a unit of time (the "iSec"?) might also be reasonable, or possibly a reference to the fact it goes on your wrist. iWrist or iWear? iWatch seems most probable to me - everything else seems awkward.

Hmm, I didn't say any of that. But what I will say is that MR can't seem to decide editorially whether the iWatch name is just a placeholder (in which case it should always be in quotes, which it is only sometimes), or the actual name for the product. They went through the same exercise with the iPad, which MR was certain was going to be called the "iSlate" despite the obvious problems with that name that so many pointed out. (This is true, you could look it up.)

Similarly, iWatch is unlikely to be the product's real name. First, it is closely associated with ancient, single-purpose technology. Strike one. Second, it associated with a growing class of "smart watches," most of which are geeky and not very compelling functionally. Strike two. Third, it limits the imaginations of potential buyers of the product and developers alike about what the product can do. Strike three, you're out.

But it must be called the iWatch, because MR says so. And they are always right on the money.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)