With the launch of iPhone 6 around the corner, the latest news regarding Apple’s next flagship device is making the rounds. According to Forbes, Cupertino based Apple may part ways with Corning and stop the use of Gorilla Glass on their devices.
Now before you start to fret that your iOS device may not be the same without the protective layer of a Gorilla Glass, we would like to assure you that Apple has thought of a much better alternative: Sapphire Glass!
Sapphire is well known as a durable and scratch-resistant alternative to Gorilla Glass. In fact, it offers much better protection than Gorilla Glass and is already being used in high-end watches. Not only that, even the iPhone 5S fingerprint sensor and the recent iPhone camera lenses come with Sapphire coating. It is speculated that even iWatch will launch with a similar coating.
GT Advanced Technologies, based in Arizona, will be the supplier for the sapphire coated glass on the iPhone 6 and has already received a pretty strong investment of $578 million for the same last November. However, till now it was assumed that the major chunk of this coating would be utilized for the upcoming iWatch. Forbes has analyzed the company’s earning reports and has understood that GT Advanced is definitely making the sapphire crystal for the iPhone.
Another news that emerges from this report is that the iPhone 6 will not be launched in the month of May as speculated. Rather it would launch in the second half of 2014. This is because GT Advanced has not produced enough sapphire coated displays to meet the demand of Apple’s next flagship phone.
Apparently, sapphire glass is not cheap to develop. It is three times more costly than an equivalent panel of Gorilla Glass that costs approximately $3 per screen. As such, GT Advanced Technologies would surely be making a lot of money. They are already looking at a projection of $500-$700 million in the first six months of production.
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