By Mark Spoonauer, LAPTOP Editor in Chief | Tech Media Network (Laptop)
The next iPhone's display will not only be larger, it could be so strong that you may not need a case. According to a new report, Apple is opening a manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona to build sapphire crystal screens for the iPhone 6. The facility could pump out as many as 116 million 5-inch displays per year.
So why sapphire crystal? The material is supposedly tougher and more scratch resistant than Corning's Gorilla Glass. That means an accidental drop or brushing up against your keys may not ruin your next iPhone. Right now it costs $149 to get the iPhone's screen repaired at an Apple Store.
Thanks to some serious sleuthing by 9 to 5 Mac--including getting its hands on import and export records--the site deduced that Apple is working with GT Advanced to produce the next-generation displays. The clues include sapphire inspection tools and and sapphire and chamber system units.
The iPhone 6 may also get a curved glass edges, but at this point it doesn't seem as if Apple will go as far as LG has with its bendable G Flex smartphone. Samsung has its own curved display on the Galaxy Round, but that device isn't sold in the U.S.
Apple has been behind the curve, as it were, for a while in the display department. Although its bright and offers great color accuracy, the iPhone 5s' 4-inch screen is puny compared to the latest Android phablets. Nevertheless, Apple holds about 40 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, though the company trails Samsung worldwide by about 18 to 29 percent.
The iPhone 6 is also rumored to feature a higher-resolution display, a more advanced camera with optical image stabilization and wireless charging capabilities. Other reports suggest the device could sport a Liquidmetal body, which would make Apple's sequel one tough customer all the way around.
The next iPhone's display will not only be larger, it could be so strong that you may not need a case. According to a new report, Apple is opening a manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona to build sapphire crystal screens for the iPhone 6. The facility could pump out as many as 116 million 5-inch displays per year.
So why sapphire crystal? The material is supposedly tougher and more scratch resistant than Corning's Gorilla Glass. That means an accidental drop or brushing up against your keys may not ruin your next iPhone. Right now it costs $149 to get the iPhone's screen repaired at an Apple Store.
Thanks to some serious sleuthing by 9 to 5 Mac--including getting its hands on import and export records--the site deduced that Apple is working with GT Advanced to produce the next-generation displays. The clues include sapphire inspection tools and and sapphire and chamber system units.
The iPhone 6 may also get a curved glass edges, but at this point it doesn't seem as if Apple will go as far as LG has with its bendable G Flex smartphone. Samsung has its own curved display on the Galaxy Round, but that device isn't sold in the U.S.
Apple has been behind the curve, as it were, for a while in the display department. Although its bright and offers great color accuracy, the iPhone 5s' 4-inch screen is puny compared to the latest Android phablets. Nevertheless, Apple holds about 40 percent of the U.S. smartphone market, though the company trails Samsung worldwide by about 18 to 29 percent.
The iPhone 6 is also rumored to feature a higher-resolution display, a more advanced camera with optical image stabilization and wireless charging capabilities. Other reports suggest the device could sport a Liquidmetal body, which would make Apple's sequel one tough customer all the way around.
