“Apple Inc. created the blueprint for a smartphone when it covered the touch screen of its first iPhone in glass, instead of plastic,” Daisuke Wakabayashi reports for The Wall Street Journal. “Now, it is betting $700 million that sapphire, a harder and more expensive material, can replace glass and better protect future devices”
“The first sapphire display screens for the forthcoming larger iPhone and smartwatch are expected to roll off production lines this month at a Mesa, Ariz., facility that Apple opened with materials manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies Inc.,” Wakabayashi reports. “At full capacity, the plant will produce twice as much sapphire as the current output from the nearly 100 manufacturers world-wide, says Eric Virey, a senior analyst at French research firm Yole Développement.”
“Apple is considering using sapphire screens in more-expensive models of the two new, larger iPhones it plans to debut this fall, if it can get enough of the material, people familiar with the matter say,” Wakabayashi reports. “Some analysts expect Apple to charge more for the phones than previous new models, because of increased component costs.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Bring ’em on!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]