“In November of last year, Apple announced that it would be opening up a new manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona,” Mark Gurman reports for 9to5Mac. “Since that time, little information has come out about the plant except that it would be utilized to manufacture sapphire crystal for future Apple devices.”
“The plant will be operated by Apple in tandem with GT Advanced Technologies,” Gurman reports. “Earlier this year, we learned via (now removed) Apple job listings that the plant would involve components for future iPhone and iPod product lines.”
“Now, we have tracked down documents (with the help of analyst Matt Margolis) showing correspondence between U.S. Foreign Trade Zone officials and Apple’s Deputy Director of Global Trade Compliance,” Gurman reports. “The documents were made public today by the Foreign Trade Zones Board. The papers indicate the materials Apple will utilize to manufacture sapphire, share details about Apple’s “aggressive” plan to take the facility live, and provide a description of how the sapphire will be used in future Apple products.”
Tons more in the full article – highly recommended – here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple makes at least 100 prototype next-generation iPhone units with sapphire-covered displays – January 24, 2014
Apple patent application details uses for synthetic sapphire glass – January 23, 2014
Apple partner GT Advanced recruiting for Jobs at Arizona sapphire plant – January 21, 2014
Apple patent application reveals sapphire flexible transparent display devices created with Liquidmetal – December 19, 2013
iPhone 6 rumors: Curved display, Liquidmetal, sapphire glass, and more – December 11, 2013
Apple spends over half a billion dollars on rumored iPhone 6 sapphire glass feature – November 29, 2013
Arizona OKs tax break for Apple sapphire glass plant – November 20, 2013
Incentives to lure Apple’s sapphire glass plant to Arizona revealed – November 19, 2013
Analyst: Sapphire likely to be used in new small form factor Apple device (Think iWatch) – November 8, 2013
GTAT able to supply sapphire for over 30 million iPhone screen covers due to Apple funding – November 8, 2013
Apple’s iPhone 6 could feature unmatched sapphire glass display – November 7, 2013
Why Apple’s new sapphire manufacturing agreement is a big deal – November 7, 2013
GT Advanced Technologies spikes on sapphire deal with Apple – November 5, 2013
Apple expands ‘Made in USA’ efforts with sapphire glass factory in Arizona, creating over 2,000 jobs – November 4, 2013
Apple strikes sapphire supply deal with GT Advanced – November 4, 2013
Gorilla glass maker Corning enters into strategic partnership with Samsung Display – October 23, 2013
Sapphire glass may be used in 2014 iPhone Retina display, sources say – September 18, 2013
Vertu COO: Apple investigated sapphire crystal displays, but found them infeasible at this time – June 13, 2013
Corning’s Gorilla Glass vs. sapphire for mobile touch displays – May 28, 2013
Apple’s next iPhone screen could be made of Sapphire – May 2, 2013
Steve Jobs, steel balls and Corning’s Gorilla Glass (with video) – January 11, 2013
Let’s shake a tail feather there Apple. As a long term investor my opinion is it takes way too long to bring new products to market. Hopefully Carl will help you get your thumb out of your ass.
No! Apple, don’t even mind these blood suckers of shareholders!
They only care for making more money, but they don’t give a damn if, once buckets of bucks made, an enterprise sinks ounce bled!
Perhaps you should consider reinvesting in Samsung, L; they bring “new” products to market all the time!
Another idiot heard from…
Sell. That’s your option.
Your opinion is worthless, you don’t have a fucking clue about development of new products, the processes that go into making them, and the materials used to make them.
Yet you sit there, Mr Keyboard Warrior, dictating what Apple should and should not do. You’re an ignorant fool, who I wouldn’t trust to run a coconut shy competently.
What a stupid, ridiculous statement. Apple already uses sapphire glass in the iPhone 5s. It only recently acquired the former solar production plant and has to convert it for use in producing sapphire glass components. It takes time to retool a production facility, train workers, run test batches, and bring a plant up to full production capacity. Your insistence as a “long term investor” is irrelevant to Apple’s time line for its products. Get over your imagined self-importance.
Carl won’t do anything positive for Apple… Unless by accident. The guy is a leech that will only encourage Apple to take its eye off the ball. He cares nothing if he brings down a business as long as he gets richer. Yet his reminds me of 18 th C Spain where the rich aristocrats rich on stolen Gold cared nothing for the decline of their country, at least till it destroyed them as well by the 1930s.
It will be something small. Home button, watch crystal, iPhone nano, . . .
Maybe start out small by putting sapphire buttons on all new iPads, then use it as a screen surface for the wrist-worn device, then on to iPhones.
“Project Cascade” indeed.
iWatch crystal with Touch ID. iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 (iPhone Plus?), iPad Air and iPad mini Touch ID home buttons and camera lens covers. Nothing more (for now).