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Apple Experimenting w/OLED Micro Displays, Orders 3000 PPI FMM from APS
 
Apple has requested samples of FMM (Fine Metal Masks) APS Holdings, which has a government sponsored project to develop high pixel density masks which out- perform those provide by market leader, DNP.  The pixel density is 3,000 pixels/inch, which is 4.7x the highest ppi in the smartphone market.  These masks are potentially to be used for small, high resolution displays such as those in VR headsets, and while we expect this is little more than one of Apple’s R&D projects, it underlies the industry’s need for a major CE player to get involved. The APS Mask is produced using laser drilling rather than the typical wet etch method, which allows the masks the higher resolution.  If Apple finds the APS masks viable for production, it could set the tone for Apple to venture further into the world of commercial VR vis OLED micro OLEDs, which are currently produced by eMagin and Kopin
 
In 2017, expectations for VR unit volume were for ~100m units to be sold in 2021.  Current expectations are for 6.1m units this year so we are a bit cautious about how quickly even a CE behemoths like Apple, Microsoft, Google or Facebook could move the market, the VR estimates are speculative, but Apple if does find a way to utilize the APS high-resolution technology it will benefit consumers while keeping us with at least one foot in reality.