Apple Awards iPhone Glass Supplier Corning Additional $45M From Advanced Manufacturing Fund

[MacRumors]

Apple today announced it is awarding its longtime iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch glass supplier Corning an additional $45 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, building on its $200 million award in 2017 and $250 million award in 2019.

The combined $495 million investment will support Corning's ongoing research and development into "state-of-the-art glass processes, which led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass."

Apple COO Jeff Williams:

"Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "From the very first iPhone glass, to the revolutionary Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 12 lineup, our collaboration has changed the landscape of smartphone cover design and durability. Ceramic Shield is a prime example of the technologies that are possible when deep innovation meets the power of American manufacturing. We're so proud to work alongside Corning, whose 170-year-old legacy is a testament to the ingenuity of the US workforce."

With support from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund, experts at both companies worked together to develop a new glass-ceramic, which gets its strength from nano-ceramic crystals, produced in Corning’s plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, the facility where every generation of iPhone glass has been made.

The new material was enabled by a high-temperature crystallization step which forms nano-crystals within the glass matrix. Those specialized crystals are kept small enough that the material is transparent. The resulting material makes up the revolutionary Ceramic Shield, which Apple used to fashion the new front cover featured on iPhone in the iPhone 12 lineup. Prior to Ceramic Shield, embedded crystals have traditionally affected the material's transparency, a crucial factor for the front cover of iPhone because so many features, including the display, the camera, and sensors for Face ID, need optical clarity to function.

Established in 2017, Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund was designed to "foster and support the innovative production and high-skill jobs that will help fuel a new era of technology-driven manufacturing" in the United States, according to Apple.

Awards from the $5 billion fund have led to breakthrough innovations, from supporting the development of advanced laser technology in Texas, to accelerating the supply of Covid-19 sample collection kits for US hospitals, and more.

Article Link: Apple Awards iPhone Glass Supplier Corning Additional $45M From Advanced Manufacturing Fund

 

[Serban55]

good for them

 

[washburn]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?

 

[ilikewhey]

this is good, the more jobs we can keep on the state side and the less outsourcing the better, if only we have a reliable finfet foundry so apple doesn't have to rely on foreign foundries for their most crucial components

 

[djcerla]

Glass on my 12 Pro Max is perfect so far. 11 was a mess of scratches and micro abrasions.

 

[breather]

I wonder if Corning will be able to sell whatever new tech they develop (Ceramic Shield etc) with this grant to other buyers than Apple?

 

[matrix07]

A week ago I just dropped my iPhone X (and not only dropped. I hit a mosquito on my hand that holding the phone and my phone flied across me and landed face down on stone pathway with a “bang” sound). My heart stopped. Thought screen would be shattered. Luckily apart from a few scratches on stainless steel rim everything is fine ?.
Needless to say my trust in this company is immense.

 

[NBAasDOGG]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?

It does scratch very easily. My 12 mini is full of scratches.

 

[djcerla]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?

Yes. See my previous post… the 11 had the worst screen ever in an iPhone, as far as scratches go. Class-action bad.

12 Pro Max perfect so far.

 

[Souponastick270]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?

Watch the JerryRigEverything video on the 12s - he does the Mohs hardness pick test and the scratches on the Ceramic Shield and while it does still “scratch at a level 6 with deeper grooves at a level 7” the scratches are noticeably fainter than the same test on the 11 and other smartphones

 

[iBluetooth]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?

There can be small grains of sand in your pockets, just by inserting things there before. When you move around, the phone is moving slightly also in the pocket and can rub agains a grain of sand or other hard surfaces.
But why are you bothered from a device showing usage. Do you expect your car to be scratch-free even if you didn't have any accidents. I think the scratches show much you use the phone and just embrace them.

 

[Digital Dude]

A week ago I just dropped my iPhone X (and not only dropped. I hit a mosquito on my hand that holding the phone and my phone flied across me and landed face down on stone pathway with a “bang” sound). My heart stopped. Thought screen would be shattered. Luckily apart from a few scratches on stainless steel rim everything is fine ?.
Needless to say my trust in this company is immense.

Reminds me of this.

 

[NoSoup4U]

Is it too late to get the formula for transparent Aluminum from Scotty?

 

[Populus]

It does scratch very easily. My 12 mini is full of scratches.

This. The glass is great against drops, but they should improve the scratch resistance, on both iphone and ipad.

For my next iPhone I am getting one of those sapphire glass protectors.

 

[Return Zero]

Haha, proud to see that lady properly repping my home state with the y'all shirt.

I will say I've been impressed with my 12 mini screen so far. A couple tiny nicks (my fault) but it has survived several drops with no apparent damage.

 

[MrCrowbar]

Got the 12 mini since it came out and use the cheapest thinnest case around it to make it more grippy, less wobbly on the desk (camera bump) and because I don't trust the black finish to stay there... the space gray 5S had shiny edges way too quickly from normal use.

I don't use a screen protector and don't treat my phone like a gem, no scratch on the screen yet.
Then again, the original iPhone SE I had since 2016 was unscratched when I sold it, the aluminum frame was a bit beat up though.

 

[69Mustang]

Do you guys remember back in the days when Corning couldn't even acknowledge they supplied the glass for Apple devices? Everybody knew they did, it just couldn't be said out loud. It was an open secret. The forum arguments that ensued were hilarious. I kinda miss the faux-mystery surrounding the "who makes the glass", "is it Gorilla Glass".

 

[CouldBeWorse]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?

My understanding is that you can opt for shatter resistance or scratch resistance. They chose the former.

 

[nvmls]

The glass doesn't seem any more durable than several previous iterations, if not weaker.

 

[1258186]

Apple are not “awarding” anything. That makes it sound like they are handing out freebies. This a strategic investment in a vital component supplier. Apple will expect to get their money back and more from this investment.

 

[_Spinn_]

Ceramic Shield has been great on my 12 Pro Max so far. Can’t wait to see what improvements come in future iterations.

 

[bradman83]

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?

I bought an 11 Pro prior to a beach trip for the camera. Kept it in a waterproof phone pouch while at the beach to protect it from moisture and sand (lost two XSs to water despite Apple’s rosy water resistance claims). Somehow a grain of sand got inside the pouch and left a small but highly noticeable scratch across the display of my week old iPhone. I’ve had displays put through much worse without scratching, so you can imagine I was both upset and disappointed.

 

[kuwxman]

Would love to see a caption contest for this article's picture. ?

"Would ya'll just look at that. Just look at that! Glass goes in and glass comes out! Can't explain it!"