Apple has invested $ 700 million to make the sapphire crystal (artificial) reference material of the new iPhone 6 high-end and iWatch. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal said in a lengthy article that this will be one of the most interesting characteristics of the products that await us in the fall.
It is surprising, however, the potential discrimination models, unless Apple has no plans to diversify even playing the card hardware performance and not only that capacity.
The sapphire crystal is manufactured by Apple this month in factories GT Advanced Technologies of Mesa (Arizona). The full production – scheduled for 2015 – will be twice as much as this first phase. According to Eric Virey, an analyst at Yole Développement, the output of the company reaches a volume similar to that of 100 global manufacturers.
But what exactly are the qualities of the sapphire crystal? Does not break and does not line as the traditional glass. However, its performance is still affected by the cut and thickness. In addition to its higher density makes it heavier.
For all its peculiarities is used in the production of glass planes and armored vehicles. Apple today uses it only for the camera lenses for the iPhone and the read key fingerprints. In the smartphone sector now employs him for Vertu in some expensive lines and Kyocera in the new Brigadier.
Its adoption, however, is risky. If it works properly Apple will be able to save on the cost of the guarantee (11% of iPhone owners have damaged screens, according to SquareTrade), but if you act like the Gorilla Glass will suffer a serious blow. It is estimated that the production account of a screen of sapphire is $ 16 compared to $ 3 than at present.
source tomshw.
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