Rumor has it that the next generation iPhone will be out this coming September. It's less than two weeks and then we'll see what the Sapphire screen is all about. The new screen sounds as if it's really hard and strong because of the sapphire reference.
A reseller of refurbished Apple gadgets, uSell recently surveyed 1,000 users to know what they want in the upcoming iPhone 6 model. About half wanted the new screen that doesn't crack and scratch easily. Twenty percent wanted the infrared camera so they could see in the dark. Meanwhile, ten percent wanted new tools to monitor fitness and health.
Apple has not yet made an official announcement yet but two models could be unveiled: a 5.5-inch smartphone and another 4.7-inch model. The phones are expected to introduce the phones exactly on September 7, complete with Sapphire screens that are unscratchable.
The iPhone 6 screen's "unscratchability" will be its selling point but the next-gen model has yet to prove that. Production is believed to have started already and will ramp up later this month.
The sapphire feature is not entirely new on an iPhone but this is the first time it will be used as a full screen. Previously, the sapphire material was used only to cover the camera lens and the fingerprint-sensor home button.
Apple is working with manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies to supply to sapphire glass screens. With this special sapphire glass, screen protectors should not be needed anymore on the next iPhone 6.
GT Advanced Technologies even built a factory in Mesa, Arizona.
"The build-out of our Arizona facility, which has involved taking a 1.4 million square foot facility from a shell to a functional structure and the installation of over 1 million square feet of sapphire growth and fabrication equipment, is nearly complete and we are commencing the transition to volume production," Thomas Gutierrez, chief executive of GT said.
The glass screen used on the iPhone or iPad is relatively scratch-free but it can easily shatter after some time. The sapphire glass screen would be a nice change when it's on the iPhone 6 and the rumored Apple iWatch.
Remember that back in March 2012, Apple was reported to have filed a patent for laminating thin layers to glass and to each other to produce a surface that is strong and will not chip.
