“Good news for people who are tired of their iPhone screens getting scratched by their car keys: Apple is preparing to use super-tough, scratch-resistant sapphire displays on the upcoming iPhone 6,” Patrick Seitz reports for Investor’s Business Daily.
“Cowen analyst Timothy Arcuri says his supply-chain checks in Asia indicate that Apple will be using sapphire crystal displays for both sizes of its rumored larger-screen iPhone 6, but not all versions,” Seitz reports. “He has seen evidence that versions of the 4.7-inch model will use a mix of Corning Gorilla Glass, the incumbent supplier, and new sapphire displays from its supply deal with GT Advanced Technologies. At least one, if not all, versions of the jumbo-sized, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will use sapphire displays, he said.”
Seitz reports, “Pricing will be tiered for the iPhone 6 models, he said, but it’s unclear whether the sapphire displays will be the basis for premium pricing.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
GT Advanced: UBS sees rising sapphire production for future Apple product – May 28, 2014
Apple patents method for embedding sapphire displays in LiquidMetal device chassis – May 27, 2014
Apple reveals more details of their future sapphire cover glass – May 22, 2014
Apple’s sapphire production will be hard for Samsung, other copiers to match – May 7, 2014
Apple begins shipping sapphire from GT Advanced’s Arizona plant to China ahead of iPhone 6 launch – April 30, 2014
How Apple’s billion dollar sapphire bet will pay off big time – April 22, 2014
Apple sapphire crystal display rumors buoy GT Advanced stock – March 17, 2014
Apple, GT Advanced Technologies, and the ‘new’ vertical integration – February 27, 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
Hoping GTAT jumps
“Not all versions” I wonder if he is suggesting an iPhone 6C?
If I purchase a new iPhone, then it will include a sapphire display even if it costs extra. No plastic screen protector. No scratches.
Apple transitions everything…won’t be full blown sapphire across the board at first iteration. If you have any doubts of mass sapphire boule production?..read this about GTAT. http://seekingalpha.com/article/2276673-second-apple-sapphire-plant-operations-emerges-from-gt-advanced-technologies-amended-10-q
Not all versions? Hmm… not sure what they mean about that unless the 4.7 will both come in the regular and the ‘C’ version. Which I hope not… no matter how many reports try to skew numbers the C’s were awful and a flop.
I thought in the USA the 5C was the second biggest selling model of phone, after the 5S ?
The actual numbers are hard to get and reports that talk about the 5C selling well use the same tricks and are done with the same folks who product shady numbers for Android stats as well.. Ya know the kind that say a bazillion Samsung phones sold but in actuality that number is just shipped units not purchased units etc…
Apple hasn’t released separate numbers for 5S and 5C, they just give you the total… to me that is pretty telling. That coupled with the fact that in all my travels to different states over the last year I can count on my hands how many 5C’s I’ve seen in the wild but I’ve seen enumerable 5S’s.
It was in Europe and despite all the Ana-Cyst’s reporting the 5C has sold more than any other phone from any other manufacturer. They simply need something to distort and feed to feeble minded.
I think the 5c pricing meant most value minded people realized the 5s is worth every $. Apple needs everyone to upgrade to A7+ architecture so the new dev tools such as Metal can display awesome graphics and very importantly the M-CPU critical for health related apps coming to market under health-book.
Not sure why figures in Europe are any less relavent than those so often given that relate only to the States. Only World or West as a whole can truly be representative.
Certainly the figures are NOT the kind referred to regarding Samsung as Apple does not give figures for those passed into the ecosystem just those sold. As for it being telling, Apple does not give a break down for sales of each member of its product family these days for very good reasons, so it isn’t actually relevant at all in fact. All that said the 5C has hardly been a raving success even if it isn’t the lame duck many would like to claim. It was a good idea but poorly and confusingly executed with no inherent style.
“supply-chain checks” are bull shit.
Also, with all the hype and rumors and ‘working with materials we’ve never worked with before’ comments flying around AND the fact that the current landscape of flagship devices are now occupied by devices that are Dust proof, water proof, and very durable, Apple should definitely have sapphire this year or it will hinder the growth potential coming with just finally releasing a larger phone in general.
Cool but I have never had a scratch on my screen and I never used a screen protector. I’ve used almost every iPhone and I am not careful with them. Dropped them many times. The new material won’t solve a problem I don’t have.
I’m in the same boat as you. I’ve had EVERY model of iPhone, including the non subsidized original and I have never broken the screen or scratched it… I always have my phone naked without a case or screen protector… Honestly I’ve seen way more people with broken screens that I do with ‘scratched’ screens so I’m hoping all this money and effort put into Sapphire isn’t just for some lofty goal of scratch proof but in reality answer a question that users aren’t asking. I say this as a user, however as someone with stock in AAPL, anything they can use to market and make additional sales I’m all for.
Ditto. My watch , hanging out in my arm and prone to bang against a dozen hard objects each day needs sapphire. I don’t see sapphire as essential, although it will playing a good role as a differentiator.
That’s what I was just going to ask (don’t have one myself). I remember seeing all of those demonstrations where they were scratching the screen with a set of keys and…nothing. I suppose they do eventually get “cloudy” with scratches, but I know every sapphire watch I’ve ever had has always ended up with a big ol’ scratch all the way across it. Something doesn’t seem right about all of this.
I am happy that you have not had to deal with a scratched or broken screen. I rarely get any scratches on my iPhone. I had a cheap case to protect the edges but the case broke so I removed it. Two days later I dropped by iPhone 5 onto my tiled bathroom floor from about 3 feet high. It landed on the edge and the screen shattered. It cost me $120 to get it fixed and another $30 for a new case.
In short, scratches are not an issue for me but anything that might protect against breaking screens would be a plus.
I have 3 small scratches embedded in my iphone 5 display. Don’t even remember how they got there. They don’t bother me, but I offer the evidence that it can happen. And I’m very careful with my phone usually.
I never used a case until the iPhone 4. I find the aluminum backs extremely slick, to this day.
The Amazon phone doesn’t seem to have helped AMZN, stock’s down 1.39% in early trading.
Sapphire coating the screen will be nice…sapphire coating the whole phone would be extraordinary and more people would see and drool over the iPhone rather than a choice of a trillion designer plastic cases from the mall. Truly, few have really seen the iPhone in real world…always covered by an ugly case. The 5c case is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen and I can’t believe it passed by Tim and Johnny covering the logo…major brain fart…I would almost apologize for that one. Doh!