MacBook Pros and iPad Pros with mini-LED begin to take shape for 2021

Reported by MacRumors, DigiTimes has been told by sources which suppliers are being tapped to produce mini-LED technology that is expected to be featured in the company's upcoming MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models.

According to the report, Apple is expected to launch an iPad Pro featuring a mini-LED display in the first quarter of 2021 with a mini-LED MacBook Pro coming in the second quarter of the year. A number of Apple's suppliers are ramping up in anticipation of the new products.

Apple's suppliers in Taiwan, including LED chip vendor Epistar, testing and sorting specialist FitTech, SMT service provider Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology, backlight board supplier Zhen Ding Technology, cooling solution provider Auras Technology and process equipment maker All Ring Technology, are all ready to gain growth momentum from upcoming shipments for Apple's miniLED-backlit devices, the sources said.

The report also notes that the assembly process for the new devices will be shared across three of Apple's production partners.

The sources continued that Foxconn Technology and Compal Electronics will share the assembly orders for miniLED iPad Pro devices, and MacBook Pro products adopting M1 chipsets will be mainly produced by Quanta Computer and partly by Foxconn.

The report lines up with predictions from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says that Apple will release a mini-LED in the first half of next year. An earlier report also speculated that the new iPad Pro models coming next year might also get upgraded to support 5G mmWave technology in the cellular models.