“While it is commonly taken as a foregone conclusion that the sapphire partnership between Apple and GT Advanced Technologies is focused on iPhone display covers,” Eric Slivka reports for MacRumors, “it bears noting that the two companies have never publicly confirmed [for] what [purpose] the sapphire will be used.”
“It is interesting that Paul Matthews, a former GT product manager, outright claims on his LinkedIn profile (via TechViking) that he played a key role in convincing Apple to use sapphire for display covers on “mobile devices.”
Worked with GT Advanced Technology to help market and sell the idear [sic] of sapphire as a cover screen for mobile devices to Apple. […]
After marketing and selling the ASF [advanced sapphire furnace] into the LED market targeted mobile screen covers as a market for growth, conducted a focused marketing campaign and developed a cost model across the supply chain that has brought sapphire to Apple’s mobile display.
Slivka reports, “Matthews, who spent three years at GT before leaving in January to join Applied Materials, does not identify the mobile devices in question, but given circulating rumors, the iPhone is the obvious candidate.”
More info and links in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
A (patented) sapphire screen is definitely going to be a key value/quality differentiator for a long time to come, if true.
I’ll bet there are trade secrets in the manufacturing and preparation processes which GT & Apple will keep secret to limit the SlapDung copiers ability to do it as inexpensively as Apple.
I can’t see there being a valid patent on using Sapphire on top of other glass as these things have been done in optics and other sensors for a long time.
Ion implantation to strengthen sapphire: http://www.freshpatents.com/-dt20140904ptan20140248472.php?imgpr=1
Even though Apple may use the toughest material for screens, there are many who will put soft plastic ‘screen protectors’ over them and ruin the whole effect. No matter how beautiful the iPhone, most people cover it up to ‘keep it nice’ for resale and no one ever sees the real iPhone, just the scratched up ugly case.
Agreed, thats why my iPhone goes commando, regardless of the abuse it gets – its a work of art, why cover it up?
So many people, and the Wall Street geniuses, focus on the hardware. Yes, this is the entry door into new customers to Apple, whether they are buying a phone/tablet/Mac for the first time, or converts from Windoze or Fragmoid. But it is Yosemite and iOS8 that have to shine here. WWDC showed some great new features that cannot be duplicated anywhere else for now. However, they have some catching up to do with Google, both on the OS and things like Maps. I hope for this sake, they spend at lease a few minutes on Maps to prove that they not only fixed it, but have vaulted over Google in features and accuracy. I will be watching the live stream Tuesday anxious for what is next.
I wish people would actually come out and name the areas where they think Apple has to catch up. These sort of comments are just becoming so generic, lazy and clearly falling behind those who are up front succinct and specific about the areas of concern they have. I will be watching intensely to see if you can deliver some overdue factual content on this matter or I will have deep concern about your credibility come Tuesday.
Well, let’s see. HTC obviously leads Apple in being able to get by with two fewer letters in its name. On the other hand, Samsung is obviously ahead in having two more letters it its name. Apple is deficient and needs to catch up! Wall Street wants them to compete in these markets. More in depth research is needed. Perhaps a smaller name is needed to compete in the HTC market. Perhaps Apl phone would do? To compete with Samung, they could use Apppple phone.
Apple has the software side of things pretty well in hand. It is a bit strong to say that Apple has some catching up to do. The copiers are always going to put some effort into a couple of features so that they can claim that this somehow puts them ahead of Apple and iOS.
But there will always be room for improvement in iOS and OS X. Apple Maps is one of the obvious targets, and I believe that you will see some worthwhile results from Apple’s string of map-related acquisitions. Siri is another area that Apple pioneered on mobile devices, but has not developed as quickly as most expected. As a result, the Android and Windows groups see Siri as a prime target and a way to differentiate their wares. The Windows camp is also striking hard at the “full featured” convertible tablet/laptop, where full-featured means the ability to run Windows and Microsoft Office. That is certainly a narrow-minded, self-serving viewpoint. But convertible Windows tablets are making significant headway in my school district after last years non-iPad tablets totally flopped. They hardly used them at all and my daughter’s school tablet just gathered dust in the corner until it was time to turn it back in. I wish that we had known so that we would not have wasted $25 on insurance. The only way that that tablet could have been damaged or lost was its initial trip from school to our home and the return trip at the end of the year. What a waste.
My kids are Mac and iOS fans, but they say that the new convertible Windows tablets are actually fairly decent. They do not come with the convertible keyboard attachment or the “special” $35 stylus. But Microsoft is gradually learning to make a product that has less suck in it. Android has been somewhat less successful in that area.
What an endorsement, doesn’t suck too bad. I don’t mean this as a criticism of windows and the author more of the survival as an obvious also ran and the acceptance of that state of affairs as the expected world order: use windows it doesn’t suck as bad as you thought it does!
The next Windows tag line “now with less suck”.
“Mobile devices” is a broad category iWatch included. This confirms nothing beyond the obvious.
You have to admit, it really is a great idear.
He’s from Boston, so to him it’s not a misspelling. 🙂
Applied Materials paid him more dallas.
I wonder whether Apple has somehow managed to fuse the underlying display panel electronics into the sapphire, instead of just using the sapphire as a tougher layer of gorilla glass cover. Applied across all products that would indeed be truly revolutionary and big.