Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Pompiliu

macrumors 6502a
Apr 22, 2012
544
0
The bad thing about sapphire glass is that it shatters easily.
Yeah, it's impossible to scratch, but...

BTW, once i won a $100 bet with a guy in a bar. I challenged him to scratch my watch (a panerai luminor with sapphire glass). He tried everything: coins, keys, his zippo lighter, even a screwdriver. Haha, so funny. :D
 

Pompiliu

macrumors 6502a
Apr 22, 2012
544
0
Sapphire is the most crystal clear you can imagine. My Rolex is sapphire crystal and it's as clear as water.
+1. A girl said to me: wow your watch doesn't have a glass cover.:D
I was wearing this one (with a shark mesh bracelet :)):
905846d1355598690-my-german-watch-journey-junghans-max-bill-chronoscope-2bjungansmaxbillchronos.jpg
 
Last edited:

bigpics

macrumors 6502
Jul 26, 2002
287
48
Rockland County, New York
But doesn't sapphire gives a shade of purple? how would that affect the color gamut of the display

I used to be a jeweler. Sapphires can be many colors - or virtually colorless - blu(ish) happens to be the common one - and the one most people associate with the term "sapphire." Has to do with different impurities (and possibly variations in lattice structure from the process that formed them, tho' I'm hazy on that). Same with diamonds - yellow, blue, green and (rarest) red.

These are all natural sapphires (and note that rubies are another variety of corundum):

sapphire-in-different-colors.jpg


As WikiP notes:

[A sapphire] is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, which is an aluminium oxide (α-Al2O3). Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium can give corundum blue, yellow, purple, orange, or a greenish color.

Chromium impurities in corundum yield a pink or red tint, the latter being called a ruby.

And:

They also may be manufactured for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules.

Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires—nine on the Mohs scale(the second hardest mineral right behind diamond)—and of aluminium oxide in general, sapphires are used in some non-ornamental applications, including infrared optical components, such as in scientific instruments; high-durability windows; wristwatch crystals and movement bearings; and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of very special-purpose solid-state electronics (most of which are integrated circuits).
 
Last edited:

Ieo

macrumors 6502
Jun 17, 2009
251
0
If they can manage a sapphire display and finally waterproof the phone, they have the next generation in the bag. Bigger display, the best scratch resistance you can get, water resistance, and the obligatory hardware bumps would make for the best phone by a mile.

I forgot to add: Type III anodizing on the phone body please! Going to a lighter shade of black to hide the scratches is NOT acceptable. Just go to type III anodizing already. I'm sure if anyone can make type III look good, it's Apple.

Recap:

-Introduce a larger screen size
-New form factor similar to the ipads and ipods with comfortable rounded edges (Enough of this chamfer ******** - Sharp edges on a phone are not comfortable)
-Obligatory hardware bumps, including camera
-Saphire display
-Waterproof
-Type III anodizing for the body
-
-Profit
 

iSayuSay

macrumors 68040
Feb 6, 2011
3,791
906
The glass used today is actually fine. I've been using 4S for more than 2 years and the display looks perfect as new. Even the steel band is quite okay considering its age.

The iPhone 5 and newer however is fragile on its aluminum body. Stupid design by any means.
 

swarmster

macrumors 6502a
Jun 1, 2004
640
113
Whoa, wait. You're telling me that Apple is experimenting with sapphire in a production setting?!

Here I thought they were going to wait until their new billion dollar factory was 100% up and running before trying that out.
 

JohnDoe98

macrumors 68020
May 1, 2009
2,488
99
Whoa, wait. You're telling me that Apple is experimenting with sapphire in a production setting?!

Here I thought they were going to wait until their new billion dollar factory was 100% up and running before trying that out.

Geez, the point is to provide evidence Apple is actually considering sapphire glass on more than simply camera lenses. I for one find this one of the more exciting rumors we've come across lately. I've never cracked or shattered the display on any of my devices, but I have experienced a bunch of scratches over time. If sapphire can fix that, I can't wait to see it as the main glass on iPhones, iPads, and hopefully MacBooks if that's possible down the line.
 

mrxak

macrumors 68000
Basically every high end watch you can buy uses sapphire glass over the watch face. I would be amazed if Apple made a watch that didn't use sapphire. Watches get banged around a heck of a lot more than phones ever do. Cheaper watches use plastic, or some other material, but I don't really see Apple going that route.
 

Doc C

macrumors regular
Nov 5, 2013
236
187
It doesn't. There are a number of potential uses.

I thought this was somewhat obvious and thus posed a rhetorical question.

Perhaps I needed to be more clear.

Do you work in a sand pit?

No, I work in an acute care medical setting where all sorts of people go through and the (unprotected) phone is often pushed around on the table/counter to make space. I am also coach/assist. coach/trainer on three hockey teams & two soccer teams and use the phone as both a teaching aid and a diagnostic aid.

When I used the word "minutes", it was an exaggeration for effect.
Perhaps I needed to be more clear.

Cases are as much an expression of a persons personality than any thing else.

Cases can be utilitarian, or an expression of individuality. Often, decreasing the need for the former element allows greater latitude for the latter. In any case, the optimal solution for most consumers is a product that is both shatter-resistant and highly scratch-resistant in its entirety. It does quite well now (my son's phone was accidentally knocked over a landing onto hardwood flooring 18ft below and it escaped unscathed, to my surprise) but there remains room to improve. The next step may well be materials like sapphire and/or a form of LiquidMetal.

Johnny's designs are about selling a product and maintaining usefulness. What happens after the sale concerns no one but the current owner of the device.

Jony (check your spelling) is all about managing the "iconic image" that represents Apple and its products. I agree that its all about selling the product, however I would argue that his preference is for the phone to be unadorned, since that helps to emphasize the design differences between the iPhones and competitors.

As for maintaining usefulness, he is also head of human interface design, so I think it's fair to say that many would question his commitment to this vis-a-vis iOS 7 (and perhaps even parts of Mavericks). I will leave that as a matter of opinion.
 

jlabute

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
143
12
heavier and higher dielectric constant

So theoretically, what's the benefit to a sapphire display cover? More shatter-resistant? I haven't ever thought about the display on my iPhone. I don't know that using a new material that doesn't change much will be a huge selling point.

Capacitive touch displays generally are better off with higher dielectric constant materials. Glass is better than acrylic and sapphire is better than glass. Unfortunately... Sapphire is about 60% heavier than GG3... But can be thinner to compensate.
 

lk400

macrumors 65816
Aug 26, 2012
1,049
626
iOS and softwares are as important as the hardware's quality of build. Today's iOS is not just good as before, full of bugs and crashes,white colors that eating battery and make you either cry or change your device's angle, things that were not exist before or were exist at its lowest and was a truly advantage over OSes like Android, It is good to see Apple using new materials but they have to fix the ecosystem too...

They should fix climate change and the economy too.
 

Autrement

macrumors regular
Mar 7, 2012
107
145
Oddly enough, I don't have too many problems scratching my phone screens (I cary a 5 and a 5S in the same pocket, one naked and one in a case so I can feel the difference when fishing them out of my pocket, and so they don't beat each other up in my pocket), but I have shattered two sapphire watch crystals, and scratched a few as well. Diamond bracelet means remember not to cross your arms, or your bracelet will remind your watch that while 9 is impressive, it ain't a 10!

Two iPhones in the same pocket AND wear a diamond bracelet AND sapphire-faced watch at the same time?

Drug dealer much?
 

jlabute

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
143
12
High end watches use sapphire - some exceptions

Basically every high end watch you can buy uses sapphire glass over the watch face. I would be amazed if Apple made a watch that didn't use sapphire. Watches get banged around a heck of a lot more than phones ever do. Cheaper watches use plastic, or some other material, but I don't really see Apple going that route.

Yup, sapphire with anti-reflective coatings... although 'some' high end german/swiss watches have acrylic bezels... likely because of their antique nostalgic appearance/color and one is able to remove scratches that do occur. Saying that, my preference is still for sapphire ;-)

Corning is saying their GG3 is stronger and more flexible than sapphire. I am beginning to wonder if sapphire is best when GG3 is lighter and more flexible.
 

kerrikins

macrumors 65816
Sep 22, 2012
1,242
530
Of course the company that makes Gorilla Glass is going to say it's better than sapphire... I wouldn't base your opinion solely on that.
 

vomhorizon

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2013
952
68
Yup, sapphire with anti-reflective coatings... although 'some' high end german/swiss watches have acrylic bezels... likely because of their antique nostalgic appearance/color and one is able to remove scratches that do occur. Saying that, my preference is still for sapphire ;-)

Corning is saying their GG3 is stronger and more flexible than sapphire. I am beginning to wonder if sapphire is best when GG3 is lighter and more flexible.

And what's the point? Its the ultimate vendor that decides whether one product is better or not. Apple has access to the latest and greatest from Corning and despite that they see the investment into Saphire a worthy one. Perhaps the saphire isnt for a smartphone screen but if it is is not reasonable to assume that apple would have done that tradeoff at the design/conceptualization stage?
 

NT1440

macrumors G5
May 18, 2008
14,610
20,752

jlabute

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
143
12
not solely on that...

Of course the company that makes Gorilla Glass is going to say it's better than sapphire... I wouldn't base your opinion solely on that.

Hey KelliKins ;-)
I totally agree Corning would say that... but from the Corning video... they show GG3 requires much more pressure to break... plus... it flexes a lot more which I assume would help to avoid stress fractures from people sitting on their phones etc. Without objective testing it is all emotion and conjecture. Did you see the video?

They do not show scratch resistance tests though.

J
 

vomhorizon

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2013
952
68
I totally agree Corning would say that... but from the Corning video... they show GG3 requires much more pressure to break... plus... it flexes a lot more which I assume would help to avoid stress fractures from people sitting on their phones etc. Without objective testing it is all emotion and conjecture. Did you see the video?

Exactly , that is why them saying that their product is superior is such a generic statement as they have absolutely no access to the product apple is working on/investing in. Only company that can do an objective evaluation of the two products is apple (at this point in time).
 

jlabute

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2014
143
12
standard tests

Exactly , that is why them saying that their product is superior is such a generic statement as they have absolutely no access to the product apple is working on/investing in. Only company that can do an objective evaluation of the two products is apple (at this point in time).

Everyone has access to GT Advanced sapphire and corning put It side by side with GG3. Apple has a patent for mounting sapphire but no unique material yet. The video shows both materials side by side. GG3 obviously can take more force and flexes... but that doesn't say anything about scratch resistance. Its not just a generic statement when they have comparative objective tests. Do you see a problem with their testing method?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.