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This was planned all along.

The GT Advanced plant was just used to develop the expertise and do all the trial and error tests. Once all the kinks were worked out, they arranged to tear down the whole operation and set it up at Foxconn where everything could be done much cheaper and integrated into the assembly process already in place.

The feigned surprise at Apple that GT was going bankrupt was a dead giveaway.

Conspiracy theories are always so much more fun than the truth.
 
what does a sapphire screen bring to the iPhone? will it be lighter? will the screen be better more clear? will it increase battery life? otherwise I don't see a need for it other than its sapphire. So what. It has to bring more benefits else I'm not really impressed.

How about listing the primary benefit: scratch resistance

Many would prefer strength over scratch resistance. I, for one, am very careful with my phone and have never cracked my display. I have obtained many small scratches on the display due to sand particles in my pocket (pocket is empty). I see scratche resistance as a huge selling factor to me, not simply because of the word "sapphire".
 
So no more talks on bringing manufacturing jobs to the U.S.? What a disappointment! I guess we no longer have the right management skills and experienced factory workers anymore.
 
Interesting how terminology morphs before our eyes. First "sapphire glass" is truncated to "sapphire" and now is turning into "sapphire displays." This is just a little thing perhaps, but it would be obviously strange if articles began referring to Apple building iPhones with "Gorilla displays."
 
How about listing the primary benefit: scratch resistance

Many would prefer strength over scratch resistance. I, for one, am very careful with my phone and have never cracked my display. I have obtained many small scratches on the display due to sand particles in my pocket (pocket is empty). I see scratche resistance as a huge selling factor to me, not simply because of the word "sapphire".

Can't say I've ever noticed any scratches or heard anyone say they have scratches. That's why I didn't list.
 
MacRumors needs an EDITOR!

There is no such thing as a "Sapphire Display". Sapphire is used as the cover for the display.

It's advantage is its hardness that renders it virtually unscratchable. It's disadvantage is its hardness that renders it brittle and prone to shattering.

It is currently used by one mobile phone maker that I know of. Here's one of their "premium" phones: the $16,000 Vertu Signature Touch Navy Lizard. I can't find any drop tests for that ugly monstrosity, lol.
 
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I have an even better idea, why not move nMac Pro production to red communist china.
 
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This was planned all along.

The GT Advanced plant was just used to develop the expertise and do all the trial and error tests. Once all the kinks were worked out, they arranged to tear down the whole operation and set it up at Foxconn where everything could be done much cheaper and integrated into the assembly process already in place.

The feigned surprise at Apple that GT was going bankrupt was a dead giveaway.

The GT-operated facility in Mesa, Arizona would have been responsible for more than half the world’s sapphire output had it gone operational.
 
Dam 6S is gonna be sounding like a incredible update imo

-14nm Apple A9 chip/heading into S cycle which usually gives us biggest performance gains between iPhones, and would also give even better battery life for the next 6 Plus S and 6S iPhones

-supposively rumored to have dual camera lens setup for "dslr" like quality

-110% they fix whatever bend issues/body issues with current 6/6Plus

-sapphire screens now actually looking like it will actually happen next year according to this report

-


realistically....
-A9 - 50% faster
-2 gb ram
-Battery life - the same or maybe slightly improved.
-Better camera, as always.
-Bending will not be 'fixed'. theres nothing to fix. Phones will continue to bend and people will accept it as a fact of life, like how they accepted the back glass of the iphone 4 can break.

The iPhone 6S will be a longevity model that will last through to iOS 11 without feeling slow.

But realistically...I will wait the extra year and just get the iphone 7....

or whatever is the best thing by that time...

off topic but... it seems silly doesnt it, the fact that the iphone and ios versions are reaching as high as 7.... The last iPod classic was the gen 7 ipod. the iPhone's matured. I'm getting sick of paying $1000 for new phones every two years, when they're really not 'new'.
 
I would LOVE a sapphire screen. This new iPhone 6 seems to be a lot more susceptible to scratching than the 5S. I don't have a problem with shattering, just those few annoying hairline scratches
 
Interesting how terminology morphs before our eyes. First "sapphire glass" is truncated to "sapphire" and now is turning into "sapphire displays." This is just a little thing perhaps, but it would be obviously strange if articles began referring to Apple building iPhones with "Gorilla displays."

MacRumors needs an EDITOR!

There is no such thing as a "Sapphire Display". Sapphire is used as the cover glass for the display.

Uh, yeah.
 
what does a sapphire screen bring to the iPhone? will it be lighter? will the screen be better more clear? will it increase battery life? otherwise I don't see a need for it other than its sapphire. So what. It has to bring more benefits else I'm not really impressed.

Exactly. Unless they somehow change the properties of sapphire, it will be heavier, less clear, require more battery (because it's less clear it will require more brightness), and it will be more shatter-prone. I have yet to hear the advantages that outweigh those disadvantages.
 
This was planned all along.

The GT Advanced plant was just used to develop the expertise and do all the trial and error tests. Once all the kinks were worked out, they arranged to tear down the whole operation and set it up at Foxconn where everything could be done much cheaper and integrated into the assembly process already in place.

The feigned surprise at Apple that GT was going bankrupt was a dead giveaway.

Yes, now the truth about the whole GT mess comes to light.
 
Dam 6S is gonna be sounding like a incredible update imo

-14nm Apple A9 chip/heading into S cycle which usually gives us biggest performance gains between iPhones, and would also give even better battery life for the next 6 Plus S and 6S iPhones

-supposively rumored to have dual camera lens setup for "dslr" like quality

-110% they fix whatever bend issues/body issues with current 6/6Plus

-sapphire screens now actually looking like it will actually happen next year according to this report

-

Maybe a 3D display as well.
 
Exactly. Unless they somehow change the properties of sapphire, it will be heavier, less clear, require more battery (because it's less clear it will require more brightness), and it will be more shatter-prone. I have yet to hear the advantages that outweigh those disadvantages.

According to old Macrumors articles, Apple has a patent for using a sapphire layer on top of glass. That means they can add a very thin layer of sapphire on top of gorilla glass to make it scratch proof while keeping the strength, clearness and weight virtually unchanged.

Also, if I were you, I wouldn't believe everything that Gorilla Glass makers tell you. Yes, sapphire may be less clear and heavier, but this only applies when they are tested in equal thicknesses. Sapphire being much harder means it can be much thinner than an ordinary Gorilla Glass screen. As a result, it will be a lighter, clearer and harder component.

Think of it this way. Would Boeing go back to making airplanes of wood because wood is a lighter and more flexible material than aluminum and steel?
 
Exactly. Unless they somehow change the properties of sapphire, it will be heavier, less clear, require more battery (because it's less clear it will require more brightness), and it will be more shatter-prone. I have yet to hear the advantages that outweigh those disadvantages.

Some sort of fancy laminating process so it's only a thin piece of sapphire on top of something else could solve most if not all of those problems he mentioned. I'm sure it's tricky to do well though.
 
So no more talks on bringing manufacturing jobs to the U.S.? What a disappointment! I guess we no longer have the right management skills and experienced factory workers anymore.

There are many other examples of bringing jobs back to the US.

In GT's case from all comments coming from staff etc it's fair to say GT had very poor management, hired badly, planned badly, and then those at the top milked it before bankruptcy filing. The bigger problem seems to be overpaid, under skilled management.

It's pretty cool that Apple funded this to the level it did.

Just imagine what could have been done if someone who was running the show knew what they are doing and was talented. You'd have a sapphire glass industry now.

Apple have bought many businesses and it's hard to understand how they got caught with these guys.

Foxconn does one thing well. It delivers results.
 
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