Apple has reportedly pushed back its plans to release an OLED MacBook Air from 2027 to around 2029 at the earliest, according to a new report from The Elec.
Per the report, Apple now plans for the 2027 MacBook Air to feature an oxide TFT LCD panel rather than an OLED display as widely expected by the industry. Current MacBook Air displays feature an amorphous silicon (a-Si) TFT panel, and the switch to an oxide one should improve the display’s general performance.
Apple made a similar switch to an oxide TFT panel with the MacBook Pro in 2022, meaning that it will take the technology around seven years to trickle down to the MacBook Air. As for the reason of the OLED MacBook Air delay, The Elec reports that poor sales for the OLED iPad Pro forced Apple to revise its wider adoption plans of OLED across lower-end products.
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Apple originally anticipated the OLED iPad Pro to achieve sales of around 10 million units last year. However, the device reportedly underperformed, selling just around 6 million units. The high entry price of the iPad Pro hampered its sales, with a similar fate likely awaiting a potential OLED MacBook Air due to the expensive development and production costs associated with OLED panels.
Oxide TFT panels will act as a stopgap solution for the MacBook Air while Apple and its partners figure out an appropriate OLED panel without massively increasing costs and thus the final price for consumers. The new oxide screens will reportedly be supplied by LG Display. On the other hand, plans for an OLED MacBook Pro remain unchanged, with that device likely to be announced by 2026 in time for its 20-year anniversary.
