Sunday, January 19th 2025
OLED MacBook Air Delayed to 2029 According to a Recent Report
MacBook Air aficionados, at least most of them, have been longing for an OLED-equipped variant for quite a while now. OLED displays, especially the tandem-style units that Apple ships with its iPad Pros, have undeniable advantages over tradition LCDs, such as a near-infinite contrast ratio, near-instant response times, and excellent color reproduction. The fear of panel burn-in does exist, although as OLED technology progresses, such fears continue to subside. That said, for those who are holding out for it, the grapevine indicates they will have to hold their horses for a while longer.
A recent report by The Elec has stated that the MacBook Air, which was previously expected to get the OLED treatment sometime in 2027, has now been delayed by another two years. As such, the MacBook Air is now not expected to boast an OLED display before 2029 at the earliest. The Elec claims that the primary cause behind the delay is the lackluster sales boost brought by the OLED upgrade to the iPad Pro lineup, which fell short of what Apple anticipated. That said, the MacBook Air will utilize "Oxide TFT" technology for its LCDs starting 2027, allowing for improved color accuracy, energy efficiency, and contrast. MacBook Pros have already utilized the technology since 2022, and are still expected to boast OLED panels by 2026.
Sources:
The Elec, MacRumors
A recent report by The Elec has stated that the MacBook Air, which was previously expected to get the OLED treatment sometime in 2027, has now been delayed by another two years. As such, the MacBook Air is now not expected to boast an OLED display before 2029 at the earliest. The Elec claims that the primary cause behind the delay is the lackluster sales boost brought by the OLED upgrade to the iPad Pro lineup, which fell short of what Apple anticipated. That said, the MacBook Air will utilize "Oxide TFT" technology for its LCDs starting 2027, allowing for improved color accuracy, energy efficiency, and contrast. MacBook Pros have already utilized the technology since 2022, and are still expected to boast OLED panels by 2026.
11 Comments on OLED MacBook Air Delayed to 2029 According to a Recent Report
But the reason behind why seems rather unreasonable? No laptop OLEDs because the pro tablet didn't do well? Does anybody actually expect tablets to still be a hot item? Thought we kinda got over those oversized things that don't do anything you're phone can't.
Unless maybe I've just been totally in the dark and tablets sell more than laptops year after year?
Sure they might have good color and great blacks but I think I'll stick to a screen that lasts more than 3+ years without burn-in.
Apple will figure out how to get rid of these drawbacks...just a matter of time
One thing I see as being a much bigger issue though is the power consumption which is pretty important on a laptop. OLEDs are vastly less efficient in power draw.