7 The Beginning of the End of Supplier Reliance
Apple is increasingly working to end its reliance on third-party suppliers and 2018 may be a tipping point for that goal. This year, Bloomberg reported that Apple is developing its own first-party microLED displays at a secret facility in California. While Apple-designed microLED panels could first show up in the Apple Watch this year, they could eventually end up in Macs and even iPhones (ending Apple’s reliance on Samsung’s OLED panels).
And that’s just the start of it. In addition to diversifying its supply chain by adding multiple vendors, Apple is also planning on making many more of its components itself. It could ditch Intel in favor of its own chips for Mac by 2020. And while there aren’t any rumors suggesting a first-party iPhone battery yet, Apple is talking with cobalt suppliers — a move that could secure a stable supply of the crucial material if it decided to do so.