PTT Research’s analyst who was at the root of the news explains why

Sep 11, 2014 09:55 GMT  ·  By

There were so many rumors claiming that Apple had found a way to put sapphire displays into its next iPhone that everyone thought they should be true, especially that everyone got so excited about the possibility.

It all started with PTT Research analyst Matt Margolis, who is focusing most of his work on Apple / GT Advanced Technologies partnership. The latter is a company that specializes in sapphire manufacturing from cutting, polishing and finding new processing technologies for this precious material.

Soon after Apple inked a $578 million (€447 million) deal with sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies, speculations about the iPhone 6 possibly getting a sapphire display have started to increase.

When Phil Schiller took the stage during Apple’s keynote on September 9 to talk about iPhone 6, we thought one of the first things he would brag about would be the fact that the new smartphone sported a sapphire display.

Surprisingly, he said that the large iPhone 6 displays were made of ion-strengthened glass. There was no mention of sapphire glass on the display, which basically put all previous rumors to rest.

Curiously, sapphire made its way into some iPhone 6 parts though, such as the ID Touch button and the camera. Sapphire displays have been included in the Apple Watch as well, but not all models have been gifted with this extremely resistant material.

Now everyone probably wonders why Apple paid so much money for the GT Advanced Technologies deal if sapphire displays are not present in the iPhone 6.

Sapphire is included in some other iPhone 6 parts

It looks like financial analyst Matt Margolis has given an explanation, though we’re not sure if the source is still credible or not. Anyway, here is what he has to say about the whole situation:

“The sapphire screens for the iPhone that did not pass quality checks were converted into Watch screens. Apple likely could not afford to launch the sapphire covered iPhone 6 until the 100% of the production issues have been resolved.

I have been told the issue was not on GT’s side of the house but solely resides within the finishers involved in the process (Biel and Lens Tech). It is expected that all of the sapphire watch production will be shifted back to Mesa to consume some of the sapphire being produced from the Mesa, AZ plant.

The remaining output from the Mesa, AZ facility is excessive and will likely continue to be grown for iPhone 6 cover screens.”

So there you have it Apple fans, it appears that you will eventually get your sapphire-covered iPhone 6, though it’s unclear when.