This article may contain affiliate links. Learn more on our Partner Program page.
Rumors about new Apple products that include both AR glasses and VR headsets have been documented for years. Now it is reported that the supposed Apple VR headset could have a high-resolution micro-OLED display with up to 3,000 ppi.
A new The Elec report According to reports, Apple has requested a test sample of a display component called Fine Metal Mask (FMM) from South Korean company APS Holdings. The version of an FMM requested by Apple offers a high-resolution display of 3,000 ppi for use in virtual reality (VR) headsets. Now, Apple is expected to test the said FMM unit to determine if it is suitable for mass production of a VR device. Side note: An FMM is a metallic sheet of material onto which the red, green and blue organic materials are attached and which forms the pixels in the manufacture of OLED panels.
Apple VR headset: Faster response time and more
APS Holdings has an FMM with a more advanced laser patterning technique that enables much higher resolution micro OLED displays. The current FMMs used in the production of OLED displays for smartphones offer up to 600 ppi using a wet etching technique. But APS Holdings' FMM with laser patterning has much smaller holes that enable 3,000 ppi. Apart from that, it is said that the laser patterning process is Apple's preferred manufacturing technique for the headset's display. APS Holdings' panel is also an RGB panel rather than a white panel as is typical for OLED displays, meaning no color filter is needed. A micro OLED display also offers some additional advantages, such as pixel sizes in the range of four to 20 microns, compared to 40 to 300 microns for standard OLED panels. In addition, micro-OLED has a much faster response time in the microsecond range, which should also make it more suitable for VR and augmented reality (AR) applications. (Photo by Zyabich / Bigstockphoto)
