Sapphire still on Apple’s menu, but not in bulk quantities

Nov 20, 2014 14:06 GMT  ·  By

As Samsung has shown recently, Apple has no problem being in bed with parties that rubbed it the wrong way in the past. Okay, that’s one too many puns for one sentence.

But it may hold true for another one of the company’s past relationships. Ex glass panel supplier Corning has just announced an even stronger Gorilla glass today, the fourth in the series, and claims to have started sampling and shipping with “global customers.” Apple could be one of them.

Failed sapphire initiative could put Corning back on Apple’s radar

As noted above, Apple doesn’t mind to kiss and make up when it comes to the iPhone. As the company’s biggest cash cow, the iPhone remains top priority ahead of any lawsuit or feud it might have with other players in the industry. Well, with a few exceptions. Google being very high on that list.

Apple’s legal spat with Samsung was believed to mark the end of the duo’s fruitful partnership with the A-series processor. Samsung proved everyone wrong this week, as it reportedly secured a whopping 80% of the SoC orders for 2016, when the iPhone 6 will debut.

Corning also had a bit of a fallout with Apple recently, but not nearly as tense as the one with Samsung or Google. Basically, Apple just dropped them as suppliers because they’d decided on sapphire for the next-gen iPhone’s display. The problem was that GT Advanced failed to deliver, and Apple was again stuck with normal glass. Albeit ion-strengthened glass.

"Corning Redefines the Standard in Damage Resistance With Gorilla Glass 4"

Well, if Corning’s announcement from a few hours ago is any indication, Apple could revisit one of its former partnerships once again. After all, the Cupertino giant wants nothing but the best for its precious iPhone. Plus, Gorilla glass has a strong ring to it. It’s great for marketing.

Corning says that its Gorilla Glass 4 is up to two times tougher than competitive glasses and survives up to 80 percent of the time when dropped from one meter (about three feet). The American company also notes that “soda-lime glass, as deployed in today’s commercial devices, breaks nearly 100 percent of the time.”

Sapphire still a bad choice if you ask Corning

Sapphire boule
Sapphire boule

Corning is convinced that its glass is still a better alternative to sapphire. It slammed Apple’s choice for choosing the latter, and apparently even jinxed its partnership with GTAT.

Cliff Hund, president of Corning East Asia, said today, “When it comes to visible scratch resistance, sapphire is top of the line.” But when the crystal does incur even the slightest damage, it “trails Gorilla by quite a bit.” Sapphire is stronger but more brittle, whereas Gorilla Glass is almost as strong but a lot more flexible. Which means it stands less chances of shattering because of a small scratch.

“When you line up all the things that consumers are interested in, the Gorilla exceeds in more of them than any other material at this point in time,” Hund added.

The reality is that customers really don’t care whether it’s one thing or the other. All they want is shatterproof screens. The first company to deliver this will take a huge bite of the smartphone pie.

Corning Gorilla Glass 4 (7 Images)

Corning Gorilla Glass 4 ad
Glass performance testSapphire boule
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