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macs4nw

macrumors 601
I don't see any need for a sapphire display on the phone. The camera lens and the home button where a scratch could lead to failure, yes. But not for the screen itself…..

It's not so much the aesthetic aspect of a scratched display, but the fact is a scratch, even a minor one, compromises the integrity of the display, and makes it much more likely to crack. If Apple can solve the 'brittle' problem of sapphire, or minimize it, by layering sapphire onto Gorilla glass, for example, that could greatly minimize cracked screens on iDevices, and would be a welcome improvement.

Judging by the rumored quantities in the pipeline, it's hard to imagine what else, other than iPhone, iPad etc. screens, this would be destined for.
 

Constable Odo

macrumors 6502
Mar 28, 2008
483
268
Sapphire will be a good thing for the iWatch. My teenage son has put his good watch, which has a sapphire face in it, through the ringer and it has not had any scratches appear yet. I think a teenager would be a pretty good test, especially a rough one.

Not sure how it would stand up in a phone though as a that is a large piece of sapphire and even though sapphire is pretty hard, I wonder if it would not become brittle. Time will tell how Apple is going to use it. Pretty sure the watch will be first though.

C'mon. Corning already said Apple doesn't need synthetic sapphire because Gorilla Glass 3 is better all around and costs a whole lot less. In other words, Corning says Apple doesn't know diddly about displays and are simply trying to fleece consumers with expensive sapphire as a marketing scam. We know Corning wouldn't lie about something as obvious as that. Right? No other company is going to be using expensive synthetic sapphire and I'm sure investors aren't very happy about Apple spending a fortune for something that offers no advantage to consumers or profits.

/s
 
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Rocketman

macrumors 603
Is it just me or they seem to be cutting it very close to the deadline with the sapphire production. I mean if the majority of the furnaces still need to be installed and then they probably need to hire and train workers and start full-scale production. If anything goes wrong between now and the next 3 months the whole thing can be severely delayed.
This goes to the extreme degree Apple is compressing the supply-chain to achieve first mover advantages and secrecy before product release. It is one of the main things they emphasize these days.

Look how rapidly the spaceship is developing after recent approval to build.

Rocketman
 

apolloa

Suspended
Oct 21, 2008
12,318
7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
Most likely for the iWatch thingy, but yeah, having had my Tissot for a few months with it's Sapphire Crystal glass I can safely state it's very good for resisting scratches.
Will be interesting if they make the iPhone 6 screen with it.

How do they mass produce the sapphire crystal glass for watches at present?
 

brewcitywi

macrumors 6502
Sep 29, 2007
304
68
Sapphire

I think that sapphire for iPhone 6 would be awesome, but maybe it will only be available for the smaller of the displays.
 

MacLC

macrumors 6502
Oct 18, 2013
414
272
I'm placing my bets on the new iphone not getting sapphire screen for the following reasons:

There won't be enough sapphire to meet the demand of iPhone
It's untested in a phone
Apple want to test it on the iWatch
Small amounts shipped to partners and a small batch off watches supposedly being made right now
iPhone 6S(apphire) after it has had some real world testing through the iWatch

Definitely it would be a stretch to fit in every iPhone 6 line of phones.

They could always keep sapphire for only the highest end phones, as in the current 64GB version. The tech for sapphire has not changed, just the industrial capacity to produce this massive of volume. So Apple has undoubtedly been playing with sapphire screens for years already.
 

grjj

macrumors 6502
Apr 5, 2014
268
529
Is it just me or they seem to be cutting it very close to the deadline with the sapphire production. I mean if the majority of the furnaces still need to be installed and then they probably need to hire and train workers and start full-scale production. If anything goes wrong between now and the next 3 months the whole thing can be severely delayed.

You should go back and read the story about the release of the original iPhone. It was supposed to ship with a plastic screen. A month before release Jobs tanked the plastic screen, negotiated with Corning for them to start production of the Gorilla glass and retrofitted glass in to the production of the iPhone. When I say Corning had to start production; they had to invent the process for making the thin phone shaped pieces in quantity; it had never been done before.

Apple is nimble as are the Chinese assembly plants.

http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-new-iphone-screen-2012-1
 

cocky jeremy

macrumors 603
Jul 12, 2008
6,055
6,233
I'm placing my bets on the new iphone not getting sapphire screen for the following reasons:

There won't be enough sapphire to meet the demand of iPhone
It's untested in a phone
Apple want to test it on the iWatch
Small amounts shipped to partners and a small batch off watches supposedly being made right now
iPhone 6S(apphire) after it has had some real world testing through the iWatch

I agree with most of this.. but how do we know it hasn't been tested in phones? Maybe they've been testing it since the 4S. Ya never know.
 

SmileyBlast!

macrumors 6502a
Mar 1, 2011
654
43
I've worn my Rolex for at least 12 years, I wear it night and day, during heavy construction, etc. I can't count the number of times I've scraped it hard against a wall or corner. Dropped it, etc. I cannot see the faintest hint of a scratch on it. Sapphire can't come soon enough to the cell phone industry, I can't wait. Just seeing how thin the ip6 is purported to be, and if it has sapphire well I'll be first in line. Same for the watch.

That's awesome! I had no idea how tough Sapphire was so tough.
This is a real competitive advantage for Apple's phones and watches.

No doubt the competition will follow suit.
 

Lannoc

macrumors regular
May 30, 2011
140
44
I took a chance on purchasing some shares in GTAT a while back. I'm hoping they sell a boatload of sapphire to Apple. I also think sapphire is a great material based on my experience with watches as others have stated.
 

CodeJingle

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2009
592
217
Greater Seattle, WA
Sapphire is a type of crystal right? Just the type of bling-bling that would be expected for Apple products. I'm not sure if it should be the de-facto standard as it is still expensive, though it would be great as an optional add-on until the price is low enough to manufacture all Apple products to be covered in a layer of Sapphire.
 

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
Sapphire is a type of crystal right? Just the type of bling-bling that would be expected for Apple products. I'm not sure if it should be the de-facto standard as it is still expensive, though it would be great as an optional add-on until the price is low enough to manufacture all Apple products to be covered in a layer of Sapphire.

I guess you just made my point. It's a type of glass, not a gemstone. Seems pretty much everyone but MR refers to it as "sapphire glass" to avoid this confusion.
 

chimpboy74

macrumors 6502a
Nov 12, 2007
554
2
Scotland
Aren't you going to look a bit silly wearing two watches? Or will you quit wearing the Rolex night and day once you have an Apple watch?

If it's good enough for Diego maradona......
 

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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,369
5,192
Aren't you going to look a bit silly wearing two watches? Or will you quit wearing the Rolex night and day once you have an Apple watch?

Yeah that's a weird decision. I like my classic watch, it's obviously purely for fashion and nothing else and it's the only piece of jewelry I wear. Apple needs to come out with something that will appease some of us old timers who value a classic looking timepiece as much as a tech experience.

Alternatively I was considering something like the gear fit on my other wrist, maybe Apple will surprise us with something like this as well.

----------

C'mon. Corning already said Apple doesn't need synthetic sapphire because Gorilla Glass 3 is better all around and costs a whole lot less. In other words, Corning says Apple doesn't know diddly about displays and are simply trying to fleece consumers with expensive sapphire as a marketing scam. We know Corning wouldn't lie about something as obvious as that. Right? No other company is going to be using expensive synthetic sapphire and I'm sure investors aren't very happy about Apple spending a fortune for something that offers no advantage to consumers or profits.

/s

I'd like to see Gorilla Glass on a watch and see how long that lasts scratch free, I'll bet not long. They may have advantages in brittleness though I'm not sure, but if I drop my phone I figure I'm screwed anyway. I'd rather have the scratch resistance any day of the week.
 
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