Back in December 2012, rumors started to circulate about an upcoming Apple smartwatch called the iWatch. At first it was reported that Apple will use a 1.5" touch PMOLED made by RitDisplay. Later on in 2013 it was reported that Apple will use 1.5" PMOLEDs produced by Foxconn. Today Korea's Chosun Ilbo claims that Apple decided to use a plastic flexible OLED panel.

Apple 2011 flexible OLED watch patent

According to the reports, Apple is developing three models, with 1.3", 1.4" and 1.5" displays. They already produced a prototype 1.5" device. Chosun is quoting "industry sources" in their short article.

According to reports from Japan, Taiwan's Hon Hai (Foxconn) is establishing an OLED R&D center in Japan with an aim to start AMOLED panel production in 2015. Hon Hai is in talks with Sharp's Sakai Display Product (SDP) large-size LCD production base. SDP is jointly operated by Hon Hai and Sharp.

According to the report, Hon Hai understand it needs to catch up with the leading Korean OLED makers and is so looking to tap into Japan's technical experienced personnel. Hon Hai expects to recruit around 20 OLED related employees during 2013, and this will grow to around 40 employees during the next three years.

Back in December 2012 we posted a new Apple OLED rumor - about the iWatch: a bluetooth smart watch that has a 1.5" touch PMOLED, apparently made by RitDisplay. In February 2013 the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both posted about this rumor.

Today these rumors resurfaced. This time Taiwan's Economic Times reported that Apple had made some prototypes with a 1.8" PMOLED, but decided they were too large. Now they are testing 1.5" PMOLEDs, and have ordered a thousand units from Foxconn - for internal experimentation.

There are some interesting reports that the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) decided to reduce its backing for Foxconn's plans to establishing LCD fabs in Brazil. It seems that the Brazilian Government is not happy with Foxconn's decision to produce LCD panels and not OLEDs - as they were hoping that the company will produce next-gen technology based panels in Brazil.

Foxconn's investment in the new fab was supposed to be $4 billion (that's only the first phase, the total cost would have been around $12 billion). The BNDES was supposed to fund 30% of the project. BNDES and Foxconn are still in negotiation, trying to reach a new agreement.

United Keys announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with Hon Hai Precision Industry Company, a member of Foxconn Technology Group. As part of this partnership, Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer, will build display-key input devices using United Keys technology. The first product, a keyboard tailored for PC gaming, will start shipping as early as summer. The company also announced new patents and patents pending in a number of countries, representing a portfolio of IP with broad application making use of display keys.

Display-keys are regular keyswitches with small OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) displays embedded in their tops. This allows interactive and image-based communication between software and users. The promise of display-key input devices is a significant improvement in usability for any application. For example, macros or other actions can be mapped to OLED keys with user-customizable images or icons precisely identifying their function. In the future, display-key support will be included in new software applications, where keyboard OLEDs change contextually and dynamically. Driven by intelligent software, images on these small OLEDs will simplify command choices, increase productivity and create a more engaging, interactive computing experience. United Keys' strategy of enabling standard keyswitches retains an important usability attribute: tactile feedback. It also helps keep costs low.

United Keys has secured patents for broad application of display-key technology -- including interaction logic between software and hardware, transmission of images over networks and the internet, and user customization -- related to a wide range of input devices, including cell phones, remotes, game consoles, automobiles and medical devices. Besides the U.S., the company has patents or patents pending in numerous countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada and the European Union.