Apple's Move to Revolutionize Sapphire Manufacturing Likely to Leave Competitors Behind

[DTphonehome]

A lot of people commenting about brittle sapphire and cracked screens are missing the point. Apple can easily laminate a thin layer of sapphire on top of a sheet of glass, making it durable and scratch-proof as well. And I'm sure many here are too new to remember the anguish in 2007 when Apple announced that the screen of the as-yet-unreleased iPhone would be glass instead of plastic. As if Apple engineers aren't aware of the physical properties of the materials they're making stuff out of

 

[Alphabetize]

I just want crack/shatter reaistant/proof displays!

 

[Small White Car]

This makes the recent analyst reports of what a sapphire screen "has to cost" totally ridiculous.

We have no clue what's going on in there so using past methods as a reference doesn't mean squat.

 

[TimWillz]

They'll find a way

Samsung will find a way to copy and rinse some of the limelight from Apple using sapphire as a screen material, they always do.

 

[Suman0102]

Non-scratch, no scuff, extremely durable. High-end watches have them and it's an excellent material.

My only concern is thickness and weight. I've never removed any of the sapphire glass from my watches, but they seem pretty thick & heavy. It'll be interesting to see how apple re-purposes it for smart phones.

 

[Steve121178]

The next iPad better have sapphire. Or else I'm not buying.

I'm sure the cost of a full sapphire crystal display on an iPad would put it out of your price range anyway.

Do some of you think it's a cheap material or what?

 

[happywaiman]

Maybe the sapphire glass will be used on MacBook Air/Pro touchpad.
Think about it: where in Apple product line has a product with a high enough profit margin to handle a $10 cut, has a small demand, get a touch interface to test the affect of sapphire to touch algorithm, and a sophisticated supply of parts when anything goes wrong.

I'm not saying it's happening, but Apple do have a history of silently testing rare material on a huge scale.
Remember what's the sim card needle of iPhone are made of?

 

[iCore24]

If sapphire is brittle and breaks easily, I'm not understanding why it is such a breakthrough for phone screens. You never hear people complain about scratching their phone screens, but you see plenty of cracked screens.

Well we don't know if it breaks easily. We didn't see the glass yet. Apple could be making the Sapphire glass a different way to make it more durable.

Kind of like how Gorilla Glass gets stronger every year with R&D. Not all glass is the same even if its made with the same material. The methods of making them can completely change their durability of the glass.

Just my guessing of course, I'm not a glass expert

 

[newyorksole]

If sapphire is brittle and breaks easily, I'm not understanding why it is such a breakthrough for phone screens. You never hear people complain about scratching their phone screens, but you see plenty of cracked screens.

Gorilla Glass can crack and so can Sapphire Glass. If Sapphire Glass can crack (just like Gorilla Glass) why not use it since it's ALSO scratch/scuff resistant? Scratches and scuffs are very common on iPhones.

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Maybe the sapphire glass will be used on MacBook Air/Pro touchpad.
Think about it: where in Apple product line has a product with a high enough profit margin to handle a $10 cut, has a small demand, get a touch interface to test the affect of sapphire to touch algorithm, and a sophisticated supply of parts when anything goes wrong.

I'm not saying it's happening, but Apple do have a history of silently testing rare material on a huge scale.
Remember what's the sim card needle of iPhone are made of?

Yup exactly. Apple used Liquid Metal for those sim ejector tools and used Sapphire Glass for TouchID Home Buttons.

Small items to start out...

 

[Audigy]

Non-scratch, no scuff, extremely durable. High-end watches have them and it's an excellent material.

The harder it is, more brittle will be. Not only that, sapphire's larger refractive index makes it more reflective than products like Gorilla Glass, increasing chromatic aberration. To counter interact those downsides, usually an AR coating is applied, defeating the outer superior durability of the crystal.

 

[Yvan256]

Cars are for people who want to go fast from point A to point B. For people who go slow, horse carriages will suffice.

It depends on the distance between point A to point B. If it's only a few meters, walking will be faster.

 

[teejaysplace]

Any advancements the company makes in sapphire production to make it more affordable and to scale its manufacturing output to support hundreds of millions of devices per year will stay within the walls of Apple and GT.

Competitors will have to pursue their own sapphire manufacturing endeavors or concede sapphire to Apple and pursue different transparent cover materials to use in their devices. Most companies will be left behind as they do not have the financial reserves that allows a company like Apple to invest in a full-scale production facility dedicated to a single material used in their devices.

This is one instance where journalistic integrity clearly skews in Apple's favour. It's easy for fans to assume that Apple will be benevolent with it's technology and corresponding price structure, but if there's one thing market economics has taught us, it's that a lack of competition never drives down prices. Note, for example, that the iPhone 5c wasn't even a forethought until cheaper handsets from Samsung began to cut into the Mac maker's market share. I'm sure Apple will find myriad uses for Sapphire, but if they're keeping it to themselves, it stands little chance of producing another aluminum revolution.

 

[Smartass]

Screen protector companies are going to hate apple

 

[wigby]

If sapphire is brittle and breaks easily, I'm not understanding why it is such a breakthrough for phone screens. You never hear people complain about scratching their phone screens, but you see plenty of cracked screens.

You don't hear people complain about scratched screens anymore mostly because of Apple going with glass from day one. Sapphire is just an extension of glass as a material except it's better.

I don't think anyone is saying sapphire iPhone or iWatch will revolutionize the user experience. I think they're just saying it will revolutionize the industry the way the aluminum unibody did for the aluminum industry.

 

[CosmoFox]

I promise you Samsung will release a phone with a sapphire display within 6 months of Apple.

 

[samcraig]

I'm not convinced that this is a making or breaking technology that matters to customers overall. It definitely has its usefulness and is an important technology. But even if Apple was the only one with it - I don't think competitors will be at that great of a "loss" for not having it.

 

[Gregintosh]

If the next iPhone is resistant to water damage and has a shatter proof/crack proof screen, that will be awesome. Won't need to get AppleCare+ anymore, and it will be a real competitive advantage.

Is Sapphire really scratch proof though? I don't see any scratches on my iPhone lens but thats because its super tiny too. I wonder if it really holds up on a large display... anyone care to weigh in?

 

[iChrist]

Non-scratch, no scuff, extremely durable. High-end watches have them and it's an excellent material.

You forgot: Heavier, thicker, and less light transmittance

Not ideal for a phone, ipad, and much less for a notebook.

 

[carjakester]

no "how does that improve battery life!" posts?

 

[BornAgainApple]

1,000 additional furnaces. As if Arizona isn't already hot enough
/sarcasm

 

[wigby]

You forgot: Heavier, thicker, and less light transmittance

Not ideal for a phone, ipad, and much less for a notebook.

I think the light transmittance, weight and obviously the thickness depends upon the thickness which is yet to be determined. And as far as the light goes, I believe the sapphire does deliver a "purer" color compared to glass with no green or blue tints.

 

[Killa Aaron]

This should also be included in the story, which hints at mass production will soon be in full swing. http://investor.gtat.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=845390

 

[wkadamsjr]

I'm sure the cost of a full sapphire crystal display on an iPad would put it out of your price range anyway.

Do some of you think it's a cheap material or what?

Sarcasm, man...tough to tell from type, but that was definitely sarcasm.

 

[Traverse]

This is why I hate it when people say Apple can't innovate. Sometimes true innovation is behind the scenes. Apple's streamlined and top noch operations and manufacturing are examples of this.

 

[kdarling]

PS Please Apple, add waterproofing too!!! I did once drop a phone in a rock pool and have the phone with me in the kitchen!

+1

I would even take waterproofing over sapphire any day of the week, especially if the cost goes up.