Tera Xtal signed with Apple to supply a sapphire Home button, report says

May 16, 2013 12:29 GMT  ·  By

Amid rumors of Apple developing a sapphire-based Home button for its next-generation iPhone 5S, a company based in Taiwan that makes sapphire substrate parts has reportedly signed with the Cupertino giant to supply the buttons in question.

Taiwan’s DigiTimes, which on occasion provides accurate information about Apple’s suppliers, reveals that “Taiwan-based sapphire substrate maker Tera Xtal has reportedly sent [sapphire crystal glass Home button] samples to Apple for verification.”

The firm refused to comment on the reports, but it seems that the sapphire Home button is not a fabricated rumor.

Of course, considering the Taiwanese trade publication’s hit-and-miss track record, the hardware is far from confirmed.

Apple is expected to introduce not one, but multiple new iPhone models this year, one of which is likely to be an upgraded version of the iPhone 5, dubbed iPhone 5S.

This is the version which analysts expect will feature the rumored sapphire crystal glass part, complete with fingerprint recognition technology.

Apple is known to have acquired a company called AuthenTech, which specializes in biometrics. The next-generation iPhone could be a much more secure device thanks to this technology, and the sapphire button seems to blend well with the rumor.

Another iPhone model expected to launch this year is said to be similar to the iPhone 5 but manufactured with cheaper parts.

This is in order to keep production costs down and allow Apple to target the mid-range segment of smartphone buyers amid pressure from Samsung, analysts say.

None of the two handsets has been confirmed, and some pundits actually see a family of iPhones launching this year, or as many as three iterations of the hot-selling iPhone.

Theories range from iPhone “mini” to iPhone “Max.” The latter is said to be Apple’s first iPhone version to break the 4-inch barrier as far as the screen size is concerned.