Display

Apple working on glasses-free 2D/3D display with adaptive eye-tracking

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a new Apple patent application on Thursday entitled "Spatially interactive computing device." The filing describes an advanced display system that can output both 2D and 3D images at the same time, without the need for specialized glasses.

More specifically, the display uses multiple layers to provide differing output to a viewer’s left and right eyes, as well as adaptive eye-tracking courtesy of a built-in image sensor. These technologies allow the display to produce 3D images to one user, or multiple images to different users, simultaneously.

Rumor: 12.9-inch iPad Pro debuting in 2016 with force sensing nanowire touchscreen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad, informally dubbed the ‘iPad Pro,’ should use a new screen technology which should deliver a more responsive, more sensitive touch performance while being cheaper to mass-produce, according to a report Monday by ETNews.

Apparently, the company is planning to replace ITO-based clear film used on current iPads with a new silver nanowire (AgNW) panel. The report pegs a nanowire-based iPad Pro for 2016 instead of late 2015.

This exceptionally clear material should improve sense of touch, enable force sensing and decrease cost as it doesn’t require rare materials such as indium and the screens could be assembled by removing one post-cell process.

Display expert explains why Apple Watch sapphire crystal degrades image quality

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 28, 2015

After putting the stainless steel Apple Watch through a barrage of excruciating screen benchmarks, display expert Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies has determined that its sapphire protection actually degrades image quality.

But it's not Apple's fault, really. Even though sapphire is the second-hardest transparent material after diamond, the substance suffers from a higher reflectance versus a less expensive ion-strengthened glass utilized on the entry-level aluminum Apple Watch Sport as well as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices.

How to increase or decrease your Apple Watch screen brightness

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 8, 2025

If you find your Apple Watch screen to be too bright or too dim, you can change the display brightness directly from the watch or from its companion app on the paired iPhone, ensuring a comfortable viewing experience.

Samsung creates 200-people team exclusively building screens for Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2015

Samsung's has devoted a team comprised of two-hundred skilled engineers to build mobile displays exclusively for Apple. The move indicates that the two technology giants are strengthening business ties, patent disputes notwithstanding, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

The team formed April 1 and also helps with sales, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. In addition to the improved business relationship, analysts think the exclusivity of the business arrangement might indicate that Samsung Display could win more screen orders from Apple in the near future.

Apple yet again rumored to switch to power-friendlier IGZO screens for next-gen iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Boy, is LG Display on a roll today. Not only has the company's website inadvertently pre-announced a supposedly upcoming iMac refresh featuring an 8K resolution Retina screen, but a well-informed LG Display related official ostensibly said Apple is also “creating iPads with a 12-inch display,” based on a very power-efficient oxide LCD screen technology, Taiwanese publication ETNews reported Monday.

Oxide LCD, also known as IGZO, requires a fraction of power compared to LCD IPS screens on current iPads, while rendering more vibrant colors and deeper blacks with quick response times and high color saturation.

iPad Pro rumored to adopt oxide LCD display tech

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 5, 2015

The rumored iPad Pro could adopt an oxide LCD screen technology, with Sharp, LG Display and Samsung Display all sending out samples, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported Thursday.

The company allegedly assessed different technologies ranging from a-Si, TFT LCD and oxide LCD before deciding to go with the latter. The report adds that the iPad Pro will go into mass production in the third quarter of 2015.

Six months with the Dell UP2414Q 4K display

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

It's been over 6 months since I purchased a 4K Dell monitor to pair with my 15" Retina MacBook Pro. In my initial post, I talked above the setup, my hands-on experiences, problems I encountered, etc. Now that I've had some time to really use this monitor on a regular basis, I'm here to provide you with a little more commentary and insight on my purchase decision. If I could go back in time, would I do it all over again?

Claimed photos of 12″ MacBook Air display assembly surface

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2015

Chinese website iFanr on Friday posted a series of claimed photographs said to depict a display for Apple's rumored MacBook Air redesign featuring a twelve-inch Retina screen display assembly with black glass cover and a polished Apple logo.

Earlier in the month, Taiwanese trade publication learned that Apple supplier Quanta Computer had begun ramping up production of the upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air ahead of launch sometime in the first quarter of 2015.

Duet Display lets you use iPhone or iPad as an extra display for your Mac, without lag

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Although Duet Display is not the first app to allow your iOS device to act as an extra display for your Mac (Shape's $10 iDisplay comes to mind), it's the first app to have done screen extending right.

Built by ex-Apple engineers who worked at the company for three years on the iPad and iMac, the software delivers a Retina display at a smooth sixty frames per second with no lag whatsoever.

Featuring touch control, Duet Display makes interactions with your Mac fun and smooth while taking advantage of the fact that an additional display increases productivity by giving you up to 48 percent more pixels to work with.

Foxconn building $2.9 billion plant to churn out displays exclusively for Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 20, 2014

Foxconn, the world's top contract manufacturer and Apple's favorite gadget assembly shop, is planning on burning NT$80 billion, or approximately $2.6 billion, on a brand new manufacturing facility in Taiwan that will produce displays exclusively for Apple, Bloomberg reported Thursday morning.

The plant will employ more than two-thousand workers and is being built after “an urgent request for exclusive capacity” from Apple, indicating that the iPhone maker is anticipating growing demand for its devices in the coming years.

Apple Watch resolutions and other interesting tidbits disclosed in developer tools

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2014

Apple has left many questions unanswered regarding its upcoming smartwatch following its September unveiling. Representing a brand new form factor for iOS, the fashionable wrist-worn accessory sports a Retina panel which Apple bills as an "incredibly high pixel density" screen laminated to a machined and polished single crystal of sapphire (strengthened Ion-X glass on the Sport collection).

With today's release of the official Apple Watch software development kit (SDK), watchful third-party developers have scanned the files in search of interesting tidbits and discovered references to pixel resolutions for both the 38mm and 42mm high Apple Watches, in addition to other previously unknown details worth mentioning.