Sharp makes OLED foray, wary of big spending

TOKYO: Japan’s Sharp Corp unveiled its long-awaited move into the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) market as the Apple Inc supplier looks to catch rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Sharp will offer OLED panels in its new smartphones later this year and plans to sell the screens to other manufacturers, although it has signalled it is wary about a rapid expansion in OLED as momentum for the thinner but more expensive screens slows. The move comes as the Osaka-based electronics maker, a major supplier of iPhone liquid crystal display (LCD) screens, continues its recovery after being bought two years ago by Taiwan’s Foxconn. Sharp’s OLED smartphones will initially go on sale in Japan, by far its major market after it slashed its overseas smartphone business, a spokeswoman said at a launch function in Tokyo. — Reuters