Apple may be keeping mum on its next-gen iPhone, but that has not stopped the grapevine from gathering little nuggets of information from all possible sources.
The latest buzz is that the company is working on an all-glass iPhone. The information comes courtesy of an Apple supplier who accidentally spilled the beans and confirmed the device's existence.
Catcher Technology is a Taiwan-based company that supplies metal casing for iPhones. On May 20, during a shareholder meeting, Catcher CEO Allen Horng let slip that only a single model would adopt the glass casing when quizzed if the company would be affected by Apple's decision.
"As far as I know, only one [iPhone] model will adopt glass casing next year," said Horng. "I don't think this move will have an impact on Catcher's revenue as glass casing still needs a durable metal frame which requires advanced processing technology and would not be cheaper than the current model."
Rumors have been rife that Apple is considering altering the iPhone's look and feel drastically. Current-gen iPhones sport a metal exterior — a finish Apple started using since the iPhone 5's launch in 2012, including the iPhone SE that has an aluminum chassis.
The notion of Apple releasing an all-glass iPhone is not that far-fetched. In July 2014, we reported that the company had been awarded a new patent dubbed "fused glass device housings," which suggested that Apple would launch an all-glass iPhone in the near future.
Earlier in April this year, KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is usually on the money when it comes to Apple predictions, noted that the Cupertino-based company had an all-glass iPhone in the pipeline. However, Apple would launch this iPhone in 2017 and not this year, according to the analyst.
This estimate is in line with the time window Horng let slip for the all-glass iPhone's launch. A strong possibility exists that Apple could launch the iPhone's all-glass model in 2017. Why? Since 2017 will be the smartphone's 10th anniversary, Apple would potentially like to commemorate the occasion with something that has a mind-blowing design.
However, whether or not Apple would share its plans with manufacturers, knowing its penchant for secrecy, is circumspect, and therefore, the news should be taken with a pinch of salt.
