It has at least 50 employees working on the matter, all of whom have been recruited from local display maker AU Optronics and Qualcomm. The company is also recruiting display engineers on the LinkedIn social media site.
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Apple has traditionally avoided spending a lot on research and development.
Engineers are developing more-advanced versions of the liquid-crystal displays now used in iPhones, iPads and Mac personal computers, the sources said. An Apple logo on the wall in the reception area of the facility, and an iMac displaying the company’s standard visitor registration screen, are believed to be the only visible indicators that Cupertino resides in the building.
While the receptionist and security guards all refused to comment on the facility’s ownership, government records show that the building is registered to Apple Taiwan, and a staff in the building were observed wearing Apple ID badges.
Apple has opened a secret lab in Taiwan, where it’s working on future display technology which could feature in next year’s iPhone 7.
Of course, the focus of Apple’s latest R & D lab is on iPhones and iPads; if there’s a way to make then even thinner, Apple wants to be on top of it.
Morgan Stanley recently released a report which predicted that Apple will be experiencing the first ever drop in sales of iPhones next year, not due to weak demand for the smartphone but due to robust inventories.
It cited sources with knowledge of Apple’s lab as saying that the lab aims to produce thinner, lighter, brighter and more energy-efficient screens.
Apple’s engineers may also be working on organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, displays.
The report added that Apple could reduce its reliance on suppliers like Samsung by developing its own proprietary display technologies.
Previous reports have pegged Apple’s switch over to OLED displays for iOS devices for as early as the iPhone 7s in 2017. Apple relies on companies such as Sharp, LG and Samsung to make displays.
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The facility itself, which Apple moved into in April, lacks any outward sign of its occupant and is tucked discretely in a corner of the Longan Science Park, about 50km from Taipei.
