Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile
    • Small Business

    Apple Watch Display to Cost Much More than Traditional Displays

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    September 30, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Apple Watch and NPD DisplaySearch

      The cost of the Apple Watch flexible AMOLED display is estimated to be several times higher than equivalently sized LCD displays, and higher than the more mature glass-based AMOLEDs currently used in smartphones, according to a report from IT research firm NPD DisplaySearch.

      The 42mm Apple Watch is believed to use a 1.5-inch diagonal AMOLED fabricated on a plastic substrate, protected by a proprietary thin and flexible solid-phase plastic seal, and the report said the cost to produce the display for the recently announced Apple Watch is $7.86.

      The touch panel interface, cover lens and other items add another $19.55 to the total. Accounting for the panel yield rate and other manufacturing costs, the total display system costs are estimated to be $27.41.

      In such a small device, even an expensive display is likely to account for a relatively small percentage of the total cost, noting display cost typically scales with area, Charles Annis, vice president of manufacturing research at NPD DisplaySearch, told eWEEK.

      “I am not sure what the total bill of materials for the watch is, but assume they are targeting profit rates similar to iPhones,” he said.

      Annis said he doesn’t see the Apple Watch as a game-changer for the industry from a display perspective.

      “Except for the sapphire cover lens, both Samsung and LG’s watches have similar displays,” he explained. “I think it is to be determined if it will be a game-changer depending on the total package, applications and if Apple can create enough market pull.”

      Paul Gray, director of European research for NPD DisplaySearch, noted there didn’t feel like a moment of revelation about its functionality, which was perhaps what some were expecting, and the proof will be whether its adopters find the device useful–and worth it.

      Gray also noted the Apple Watch probably won’t affect makers of fitness bands, as pricing levels are very different and fitness bands are targeted at a very specific niche, at impulse-level pricing.

      “If the watch industry is anything to go by, then this will be an incredibly diverse market with lots of defensible niches,” he said. “Apple Watch doesn’t look robust enough for many outdoor sports, for example.”

      The report also noted although production costs are higher, the benefits of adopting a plastic AMOLED panel include a display module that is approximately 65 percent thinner and lighter than an LCD display and 50 percent thinner and lighter than a conventional AMOLED display.

      Shipments of AMOLED panels for the Apple Watch alone are expected to reach 8 million units this year, as Apple builds up inventory for the 2015 launch.

      “I am assuming the watch will be more successful than competitors because it is Apple and an assuming an impressive array of apps. But I also assume it will take a while for the market to evolve and for battery technology to improve and the watch thickness to decrease,” Annis said. “I think it is coming, so I think Apple is doing the right thing coming out with its first-generation device now but I guess it will be a moderate success at first with the chance to grow in future years.”

      Avatar
      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×