A lack of mini-LED components is the reason 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros have been delayed, reports DigiTimes. Some folks expected them to debut at this week’s (virtual) Apple Worldwide Developer Conference. However, DigiTimes says they’ll debut in the third quarter.
“The sources revealed that Apple originally planned to mass-produce the two notebooks in the second quarter, but has pushed the schedule back due to the weaker-than-expected yield rates for miniLED modules,” the report says.
Oh well, good things come to those who wait. And the new MacBook Pros should be worth the wait. The upcoming laptops are expected to have a major redesign, run on Apple Silicon (M1 chips), and sport mini-LED displays.
The mini-LED displays will likely use 10,000 mini-LEDs and will be comparable to OLED screens. They’ll result in good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and HDR, and local dimming.
Mini-LEDs sport a local dimming function with a contrast effect similar to that of OLED displays. However, on some product lines, costs for mini-LED backlit displays may even be lower than their OLED counterparts, according to LEDinside. Mini-LED products are as thin as those using OLED technology so they consume less power than traditional LED screens, and they cost 70-80% less to produce than OLED displays, although their performance is similar.
