In another incident, an Apple security employee was initially banned by Samsung from inspecting a factory in Vietnam that was assembling screen components for the iPhone X. Apple security staff stopped to check the environment. around.
Samsung has defended its manufacturing technologies. According to several former Apple employees, Samsung has banned Apple engineers from entering its factories. In one incident in 2017, Apple engineers traveled to South Korea to meet with employees of Samsung’s display division. But they can’t enter Samsung facilities, including office buildings, because the company wants to protect its intellectual property over OLED display technology.
Due to the secrecy, Apple has had a hard time understanding how Samsung solves iPhone screen manufacturing problems. For example, Apple had to perform more rigorous screen testing during product development to detect defects than when Samsung cooperated.
Interviews and internal documents have shown that Apple has not had much success in getting rid of Samsung.
Former Apple employees recall that Samsung forced Apple to receive hundreds of thousands of additional MacBook screens a few years ago, even though Apple lowered its demand forecast for the device. In contrast, according to former Apple employees, most other Apple suppliers bear the financial risk of holding and covering the cost of excess parts.
Apple has partnered with other display suppliers such as LG and BOE, but Samsung is still the main supplier, especially producing OLED screens for iPhones. According to two former Apple employees, LG tried to supply OLED panels for some iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, but Apple informed LG that its screens were substandard.
Apple must continue its efforts to produce microLEDs and hopes to introduce microLED displays in the Apple Watch until at least 2024 or 2025, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans. But it will have to depend on Samsung for many more years.