Current MacBook Pro laptops are high-end but aren’t perfect. Apple is preparing to improve its specifications to match the competition on Windows, but it may take a while.
The MacBook line continues to lag behind the Windows market in several key features in terms of form factors, peripheral support and displays. While touchscreen support in Windows dates back more than twenty years with the curiously convenient Windows XP Tablet Edition, Apple has steadfastly refused to add a touchscreen to the MacBook, even though it tries to promote compatibility applications between MacBook and iPad.
Apple is also lagging behind in screen technology, sticking to LCD and mini-LED. That looks set to change with moves to integrate OLED displays into the production line, reported this week by South Korean publication The Elec.
It highlights Samsung’s plans to provide a production line of its 8th generation OLED panels for Apple and the MacBook.
OLED displays deliver deeper blacks and more vibrant colors than similarly sized LCD and mini-LED displays, which do so while consuming less power. All of these benefits would fit perfectly into any laptop, but with Apple being so far behind the displays used by its competitors, simply matching them would be a huge improvement for the MacBook platform.
Unfortunately, Apple geekerati will have to wait before they can get their hands on a MacBook with a modern display. The current M3 generation of MacBook Pro models uses mini-LED technology, and that’s unlikely to change this year. We haven’t seen the MacBook Air M3 yet (a launch is expected in mid-March), but it’s unlikely that the cheaper mainstream laptop will debut OLED.
In reality, we won’t see an OLED-equipped MacBook until 2025, and Samsung’s impact on the supply chain won’t be felt until 2027.
For those who need to join Apple’s ecosystem, it’s hard to wait a year to join Tim Cook’s vision of a desktop computer. For anyone already locked into this part of the digital world, moving to an OLED screen is a significant improvement. Given the expected longevity of any laptop, skipping this year’s upgrade to a vibrant OLED display that you’ll enjoy for five years or more is an obvious decision to make.
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