“Corning officially announced their followup to Gorilla Glass today at CES 2012,” Arnold Kim reports for MacRumors.
“Apple has previously used the strengthened glass in their iOS devices,” Kim reports. “In 2010, David Pogue relayed a claim from a scientist that Apple was the #1 customer for Gorilla Glass and buys “practically all the Gorilla Glass that Corning can make.” At least parts of the story were confirmed in Steve Jobs’ biography. Corning reportedly shelved the idea for Gorilla Glass back in the 1960s but revived the project at the request of Steve Jobs in 2007.”
Kim reports, “The new version of Gorilla Glass can be up to 20% thinner than the original and still retain the same strength. Alternatively, manufacturers could continue to use the same thickness, and benefit from greater strength.”
Full article with video here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Using the existing strength factor, how much lighter would the iPad2 be?
they promised there’d be no math, Castel.
Just kibitzing, but the math works out to
000xx = castles queenside, mate. (Morphy vs A Morphy, 1850)
1/2 of of 1% of the weight of the case you are going to put on that iPad.
Probably a matter of grams.
More likely milligrams.
Regarding this Gorilla Glass (the original), is it tough enough so that you don’t have to put a LCD screen protector such as invisi-sheild over it?
When the first iPhone came out, I went to the Apple store to look at one. I asked an employee if the iPhone wouldn’t get all scratched up being in your pocket with your keys and change.
He grinned, whipped out an iPhone and a piece of steel wool and went to town. Not a single scratch.
It gets better. The iPhone 4S added the “oleophobic” (i.e. oil-repellant) coating first introduced on the iPad 3. My old iPod touch would need regular cleanings with a microfiber cloth to get rid of the finger smudges. I can clean my iPhone 4S with a few swipes on whatever shirt I’m wearing.
In short, “screen protectors” for the iPhone 4S are completely unnecessary. (And if you’re okay with cleaning the screen, they’re not necessary for older iPhones either.)
——RM
You saw the oleophobic coating on an iPad 3?
Derp. I meant iPad 2.
——RM
Corning revives a shelved glass technology at Apple’s request. It becomes a huge business for them.
Intel invents a new processor motherboard form at Apple’s request, to make the MacBook Air. It enables an entire new class of PCs.
That’s two examples, but I’m pretty sure there are more, of Apple inspiring/pestering other companies into innovations.
(Another thing I hope Apple keeps up with Jobs gone.)
——RM
LordRobin I’d love for that to be true. A few years ago I had my iPhone 3G in my pocket with my keys and the glass is scratched to buggery. Maybe we get punier iPhones in the UK.
My 3G was scratched by my car keys, which share the same pocket (still, after almost 3 years together every day the scratches weren’t deep enough to really distract me).
On the other hand the iPhone 4 has never gotten a single faint scratch on it. The glass is very much harder on the 4.
And as was said above, no fingerprints. None. I was always wiping off my iPod Touch and 3G iPhone. On the 4, the issue’s been fixed.
Apple is honestly solving the things we didn’t know needed solving. (MagSafe?)