Tag: Sapphire glass

Corning is Working on a Tough and Sapphire-Like Scratch Resistant Glass

Corning, a name known from producing one of the toughest glasses for mobiles, has fastened its belt to come up with a scratch resistant glass. The Gorilla Glass producer is working on a new project that will combine the toughness of a Gorilla and at the same time add the scratch-resistance property close to sapphire.

The upcoming product dubbed as Project Phire is under development, as announced yesterday by Corning Executive James Clappin. He added that the product will start selling in the market later this year. He further said –

We told you last year that sapphire was great for scratch performance but didn’t fare well when dropped. So, we created a product that offers the same superior damage resistance and drop performance of Gorilla Glass 4 with scratch resistance that approaches sapphire

Corning gets a major part of its revenue from TV displays and fiber-optics. Gorilla Glass, a product of Corning, has gained reputation of the most durable glass in terms of breakage and the company doesn’t want to slip this achievement to sapphire. Meanwhile, Samsung and Apple are the biggest customers of Gorilla Glass and lot many high-end phones like Galaxy Note Edge, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus use Corning glass. So Corning is planning on an ideal glass that has qualities of both.

The company is pushing its boundaries to come up with a perfect product. This new innovation is expected to be received with the same enthusiasm as its previous offerings.

February 7, 2015
Apple to Spend $2 Billion to Turn the Sapphire Glass Plant Into a Data Center

One of the most anticipated features of the new iPhones was the sapphire glass screen that would have made it practically scratch proof. But after facing multiple issues, the plan was scrapped. Apple was setting up a sapphire glass plant in the US state of Arizona, but its partner filed for bankruptcy in October last year. Now Apple plans to pump in heavy investments to convert the facility into a data center.

Apple had partnered with GT Advanced Technologies Inc in 2013 to manufacture the scratch resistant sapphire glass screens. The plans were dropped later, and the new iPhones came with hardened glass instead.

Now the failed plant will be renovated into a data center that will assist Apple with its various services. The multibillion-dollar project is one of the largest investments made by Apple; the Cupertino-based giant is known for being conservative with its spending.

The data center will act as a command center for Apple’s other data centers and networks and will handle services like iTunes, iCloud, Siri, etc. Apple plans to stretch its $2 billion investment up to ten years with a further commitment of 30 years. The center is expected to be powered by solar energy which is appreciable as data centers are extremely power intensive buildings.

February 3, 2015
Apple’s Sapphire Glass Supplier Files for Bankruptcy

Apple had a lot of problems this year. Be it production delays or #Bendgate, the company has been in news for all the wrong reasons this year. Now, things seem to be going from bad to worse. Apple’s sapphire glass supplier, GT Advanced Technology has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with plans to shut down two production plants and lay off 890 workers.

It has been reported that GT has requested permission from the bankruptcy court to close down the Arizona plant, even after the company stated that it planned to remain operational while it reorganized its finances. In addition to requesting approval to shut down that plant, GTAT has also asked that a New Hampshire bankruptcy court terminate its agreements with Apple, which it describes in a filing as “oppressive and burdensome.”

In the original statement announcing the Chapter 11 filing, GT CEO Tom Gutierrez said, “Today’s filing does not mean we are going out of business; rather, it provides us with the opportunity to continue to execute our business plan on a stronger footing, maintain operations of our diversified business, and improve our balance sheet. Only if GT winds down these operations will it be able to stop its mounting losses and re-focus its resources on the operation of its core business of selling sapphire furnaces and other products.” the company said on Friday.

GT’s Arizona Plant

Apple, in turn responded by pointing to its earlier statement that it remains committed to preserving jobs in Arizona and was consulting with state and local officials on its next steps. “We are proud of the jobs we’ve helped create in Arizona through Apple’s domestic manufacturing initiative and our state-of-the-art facility powered entirely by renewable energy sources. We are focused on preserving jobs in Arizona following GT’s surprising decision and we will continue to work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps.” Apple spokesperson said when asked about the matter.

Earlier, it was reported that GT had failed to meet technical milestones that Apple required in order to receive the final $139 million in advanced payment. GT Chief Financial Officer Raja Bal told investors that setting up production at the Arizona plant was more costly than the company had originally estimated. Within the past year, GT has been losing money with no solid success to back it up.

October 11, 2014