Sapphire

61 'Sapphire' stories October 2012 - February 2014

Apple just procured enough Sapphire Crystal furnaces to make 100-200M ~5-inch iPhone displays in Arizona

Mark Gurman Feb 6 2014 - 12:24 pm PT

Last year, Apple and GT Advanced struck a deal to open and operate a manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona related to sapphire crystal components.

Earlier this year, we learned that Apple is “aggressively” pushing to make the facility operational by February 2014 and that the building would produce a “critical” and “new” sub-component for future Apple devices. Due to the vagueness and secrecy surrounding Apple and GT Advanced’s plans, there has been little to no confirmation regarding what exactly the partnership will yield for future Apple products.

But, thanks to new documents and information that we have uncovered with help of analyst Matt Margolis, we have a clearer picture of Apple’s plans…

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Apple aggressively pushing to take Arizona sapphire plant live in February for ‘critical’ product component

Mark Gurman Jan 29 2014 - 8:40 pm PT

17 Comments

In November of last year, Apple announced that it would be opening up a new manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona. Since that time, little information has come out about the plant except that it would be utilized to manufacture sapphire crystal for future Apple devices. The plant will be operated by Apple in tandem with GT Advanced Technologies. Earlier this year, we learned via (now removed) Apple job listings that the plant would involve components for future iPhone and iPod product lines.

Now, we have tracked down documents (with the help of analyst Matt Margolis) showing correspondence between U.S. Foreign Trade Zone officials and Apple’s Deputy Director of Global Trade Compliance. The documents were made public today by the Foreign Trade Zones Board. The papers indicate the materials Apple will utilize to manufacture sapphire, share details about Apple’s “aggressive” plan to take the facility live, and provide a description of how the sapphire will be used in future Apple products…

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Speculation and circumstantial evidence points toward possibility of Apple using solar in upcoming products

Ben Lovejoy Jan 29 2014 - 7:34 am PT

35 Comments

Image: 1iphone5wallpaper.com

There has long been speculation about Apple incorporating a solar panel into its products, both for environmental reasons and to boost battery-life. There have been Mobile-Solar Apple Jobs that have vanished after discovery, tons of patents, trial rumors and of course the Solar effort/expertise on Apple’s Data Centers and new Campus 2 building. This week, Seeking Alpha has a highly speculative piece by Matt Margolis suggesting that the evidence may be mounting for the iPhone 6 being the product Apple uses to bring the Solar idea to market.

Before we get too far into the speculation, it is worthwhile to note that the surface area of an iPhone would hardly be enough to keep a charge let alone recharge a phone even with the most efficient solar technology in labs today. However, all of the evidence weighed together might make you forget all of that ‘science’…

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Watch the full Tim Cook ABC interview on 30 years of Mac, NSA surveillance (Video)

Jordan Kahn Jan 25 2014 - 9:57 am PT

11 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=janYipFwV34]

Yesterday we posted some excerpts from an ABC interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives that officially aired on the network last night. In the interview, Cook is joined by Apple’s Apple Senior VP Craig Federighi and Apple software VP Bud Tribble to talk about the 30th anniversary of Mac, the new made-in-America Mac Pro, iWatch (iRing?), secrecy at Apple and the recent NSA surveillance controversies.

Cook on NSA surveillance programs:

Number one, we need to be significantly more transparent. We need to say what data is being given, how many people it affects, how many accounts are affected, we need to be clear. And we have a gag order on us right now so we can’t say those things… .Much of what has been said isn’t true. There is no backdoor. The government doesn’t have access to our servers. They would have to cart us out in a box for that, and that just will not happen. We feel that strongly about it.

Cook didn’t say much that we didn’t already see in the excerpts, but you can check out the full uncut interview from ABC above.

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Apple begins hiring iPhone/iPod manufacturing design engineers for Mesa, Arizona plant

Jordan Kahn Jan 14 2014 - 7:45 am PT

3 Comments

Mesa-Arizona

Back in November, the State of Arizona announced that Apple had chosen the city of Mesa to create a new manufacturing facility and in the process 700 new permanent manufacturing jobs. Some had speculated it could be part of CEO Tim Cook’s plan to bring manufacturing of Macs back to the US (Cook previously stated some parts will come from Arizona), but a supplier later revealed it would be providing equipment for the production of sapphire material at Apple’s new plant. Apple never confirmed what the plant would actually be used for, but we’ve discovered through a new job listing that Apple will indeed use the facility for manufacturing iPhone and iPod components.
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Sapphire iPhone screens just might be cost-effective sooner rather than later

Ben Lovejoy Nov 12 2013 - 5:39 am PT

6 Comments

TechCrunch has an interesting piece in which it suggests that the sapphire crystal Apple currently uses in the Touch ID home button on the iPhone 5s might prove a cost-effective option for iPhone screens sooner than we thought.

Sapphire is very, very tough. Short of scraping it with your diamond ring, you’re unlikely to scratch it. But it’s also very, very expensive. A sapphire outer layer on an iPhone would likely cost ten times as much as the Gorilla Glass Apple uses at present.

But Apple recently struck a deal with sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies to boost production by 2000 percent, and GTAT just happens to have acquired a solar panel company that developed a new technique for slicing hard materials very thinly using an ion particle accelerator.

If the same technique can be applied to sapphire, and if it could be combined with a sapphire laminating system already patented by Apple, the cost could plummet.

Apple could drive the costs of sapphire sheets down incredibly low in comparison to the traditional method. It will be able to create many of these super thin sapphire sheets from the same amount of raw material it would take to make one full piece of sapphire cover glass. It could then laminate the assembly together in the way that it currently does iPhones […]

This, in turn, could mean sapphire cover sheets that are harder and tougher than standard glass materials on your iPhone years sooner than most analysts have predicted.

Those are two big IFs, so we’re not holding our breath, but it’s certainly an intriguing possibility.

Apple’s sapphire deal to increase manufacturer’s revenue from sapphire by approximately 20x current levels

Benjamin Mayo Nov 7 2013 - 6:48 am PT

7 Comments

Earlier this week, Apple announced a deal with GT Advanced Technologies to increase production of sapphire for use it’s in products. This production will take place in Apple’s new Arizona facility. Via AllThingsD, as part of an earnings call on Monday, GT shed some light on just how big this deal is for both companies.

As Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White noted today, GT’s sapphire business accounted for 11 percent of its year-to-date sales — about $28.9 million in revenue. But, in forecasting 2014 revenue, the company said it expects to make $600 million to $800 million, with 80 percent of those sales attributable to its sapphire business.

This means that GT’s sapphire business will generate between $480 – $640 million of the company’s 2014 revenue, an increase of almost twenty-times compared to 2013. An increase this large implies Apple has a much bigger vision for sapphire than what it uses it for today.

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Report: Apple could use sapphire crystal for home button on new iPads, cover glass on 2014 iPhones

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2013 - 1:06 pm PT

5 Comments

With Apple utilizing a new laser cut sapphire crystal in its redesigned home button that now includes a capacitive fingerprint touch sensor on the iPhone 5s, it’s not that surprising that rumors of a sapphire home button on future iPads are starting to pop up. We’re certainly not taking this one as fact, as it comes to us from the not-so-reliable DigiTimes, but a new report from the publication says new models of Apple’s full-sized iPad and iPad mini will also utilize the hard sapphire crystal material. The rumor apparently comes from “Taiwan-based sapphire makers.”

The report adds that Apple could also be looking to utilize the material for entire touch screen covers for new iPhones coming in 2014, but that price could be a factor, as sapphire crystal is reportedly still around 5 times more expensive than alternative materials.

In it’s latest promotional video for the new iPhone 5s home button and TouchID feature (below), Apple says the Sapphire crystal button protects the the new touch sensor and also “acts as a lens to precisely focus it on your finger.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJkmc8-eyvE

2014 iPhone will sport 4.5-5 inch screen, says analyst Ming-Chi Kuo

Mark Gurman Sep 6 2013 - 8:37 pm PT

35 Comments

Samsung-Galaxy-Note-2-vs-Galaxy-S3-vs-iPhone-5-1

Image via <a href="http://www.gottabemobile.com/2013/02/25/galaxy-s3-vs-galaxy-note-2-vs-iphone-5-size-comparison/"><em>GottaBeMobile</em></a>

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo, Apple’s 2014 iPhone update is set to include a model with a larger display. Kuo pinpoints the screen increase to be between 4.5 and 5 inches. He also says that the display will continue to be based off of the in-cell touch screen technology. This display configuration, introduced with the iPhone 5, allows Apple to install thinner displays, and this means overall svelter phones.

Today’s claim is not surprising given that we have heard several indications that Apple is looking to boost the size of the iPhone’s display. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Apple is exploring larger display sizes for the iPhone, particularly in the 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch “phablet” range. The aforementioned 4.7-inch Apple displays in testing would fit the claims of Kuo. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was testing displays up to 6-inches in size…

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‘iPhone 5S’ (plus gold model), ‘iPhone 5C’ will actually be names of next iPhones?

Mark Gurman Aug 11 2013 - 11:32 am PT

13 Comments

<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/10/new-mockups-claim-to-show-iphone-5s-and-iphone-5c-designs-gallery/">iPhone 5S/5C physical mockups</a>

Apple’s next two iPhone models will be named iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, according to a report from Japan-based Macotakara. With repeated reports and rumors of the next-generation iPhone retaining the same design as the iPhone 5, the “iPhone 5S” name has long been claimed and regarded as the name of the new flagship iPhone. Apple’s iPhone 4S and iPhone 3GS retained the designs of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G, respectively.

However, because of Apple’s surprise naming scheme for the third-generation iPad (The new iPad), an outright claim of the name “iPhone 5S” may be important to some interested in the upcoming device.

As for the “iPhone 5C,” this name gained attention when purported packaging materials for the upcoming, lower-cost, plastic iPhone surfaced in photos online. It is unclear what the “C” in “5C” could stand for, but speculation and logic points to the “C” standing for “color.” Like recent iPod touch models, this plastic iPhone is rumored to come in a series of colors…

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Corning says sapphire ‘not a major threat’, posts video showing why Gorilla Glass is superior

Jordan Kahn May 22 2013 - 2:31 pm PT

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In case you needed some proof that the rumors of Apple switching from Corning glass to sapphire crystal are unlikely, Corning has posted a video on its website showing how its current Gorilla Glass is superior to sapphire for mobile devices.

Recently, speculation has arisen that manufactured sapphire crystal might become an alternative to Corning’s Gorilla Glass. “Sapphire’s performance as a cover for high-end watches probably leads to the current speculation. But those covers are much smaller than a mobile phone and are two to three times thicker than Gorilla Glass. In one of our commonly accepted strength tests, sapphire breaks more easily than Gorilla Glass after the same simulated use. Additionally, sapphire’s cost and environmental hit are huge issues,” Steiner said.

There have been a couple rumors floating around that smartphone makers are looking into using sapphire crystal as a replacement for other cover glass solutions. With Apple using the material as a cover for its camera lenses on iPhone 5 and the latest iPod touch, some have speculated it could use sapphire for other parts of its devices, such as the display’s cover glass or home button. However, that’s not likely, according to Corning, Gorilla Glass is “about half the weight”, requires 99 percent less energy in manufacturing, provides brighter displays, and “costs less than a tenth” of sapphire.
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iPhone 5S to reportedly come with 12-megapixel camera, improved low light mode

Michael Steeber Apr 15 2013 - 3:12 pm PT

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Image via Gizmag

Tinhte.vn is reporting this afternoon that Apple’s next-generation iPhone (assumed to be dubbed the iPhone 5S) will include an all new 12-megapixel camera as well as an improved night shooting mode. Interestingly, MacRumors notes that the report originates from “Wonderful Saigon Electrics in Binh Duong, which specializes in providing camera modules for the iPhone.”

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Review: iPhoneography gear series: $15 Easy Macro Cell Lens Band

Élyse Betters Oct 20 2012 - 10:57 pm PT

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Photo-editing apps have dominated the App Store ever since Apple’s iPhone launched in 2007, but they especially grabbed ahold of pop culture after famous photographers and photojournalists—such as Damin Winter’s prize-winning Hipstamatic Afghanistan war series and The New York Times’ Instagram summer series—advocated the iPhone as a premiere device for capturing special moments.

Here’s the thing, though: there are plenty of ways to beautifully snap an image or film a video with the iPhone that will contribute to the after-effects of apps. How so? iPhoneography gear.

Yes, iPhoneography is an actual name (it even has a Wikipedia page), and it essentially, as one might guess, involves shooting and processing with an iOS device. With that said, the iPhone 5 launched almost one-month ago, and it’s 8-megapixel camera, Sapphire lens, Panorama mode, and 1080p HD video are making tidal waves in the iPhoneography world.

Photojojo.com offers an impressive, mouth-watering catalog of photography and videography gear for the iPhone 5, so we at 9to5Mac decided to get our hands on some of the site’s hot accessories. And, over the next month, we will test and review only what’s best for helping creative folks step up their iPhoneography game. Hopefully, as the holiday season is practically here, the series will inspire a few gift ideas. The previous-generation iPhone, by the way, is on par with the iPhone 5, in terms of the camera, so we will look at iPhone 4S-specific accessories too.

Check out the first review below on the tiny, yet ever-so useful, Easy Macro Cell Lens Band.

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