Samsung's end-of-life shock with transparent OLED

CDS is now left, along with other companies to no longer offer this product going forward. There has been talk of a Last Time Buy option but as it will not be supported in the future it does not think this is a good idea as any issues with the panels such as fragility and reliability could not be rectified or replaced which could be expensive for all concerned.

CDS Director Tony Large commented that EOL of TOLED is a really unfortunate situation for all concerned. “Such is the nature of large scale Manufacture that without large volume takes up on products, fabrication becomes impossible. Coupled with issues of production yield, and fragility, the outcome is not entirely unexpected. We are working closely with clients to develop alternative technologies based on proven TLCD technology.”

The reason for the EOL notice is quite simply that the global quantity is not enough for Samsung (or any other major manufacturer) to justify the investment.  There is talk of LG also manufacturing Transparent OLED next year BUT it is believed that with the Samsung decision this will now be in doubt if the market is not large enough to justify investment and production capacity. This will affect all companies offering the TOLED product.

The risk now is also that companies in the Far East, Europe and USA may want to offload product as soon as possible to avoid the risk of being stuck with unsupported parts, and this may also include B grade panels that were rejected for Tier 1 use but find their way into the ‘grey’ market.