Foxconn May Use New Factory To Build Sapphire Glass Displays For Apple
One of the rumors leading up to the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus was that Apple's flagship phones would sport sapphire glass displays, the same material found on its Touch ID sensor and covering the camera lenses. Unfortunately, Apple's relationship with sapphire glass supplier GT Advanced turned sour and the company ultimately filed for bankruptcy, so it wasn't meant to be. That's the bad news. The good news is that Foxconn may emerge as a sapphire glass supplier.
Foxconn already handles the bulk of production for Apple's mobile devices, including its iPhone line, leaving little to no room to focus on building sapphire glass displays. However, the company reportedly plans to spend $2.6 billion on a new display factory in Taiwan.
Rumors are starting to rise that Foxconn will use the new facility to produce the coveted sapphire glass displays for Apple's next generation of iPhones. As the story goes, Foxconn already signed an agreement with the Zhengzhou city government in central China to setup a sapphire factory on a 133-hectare plot of land that sits right next to its iPhone 6 assembly plant. Talk about convenience.
It's unclear if Foxconn will actually be able to have its operations up and running fast enough to serve the very next generation of iPhones, as is being reported. These things take time, and it might be more likely to anticipate sapphire glass making a debut two generations from now.
Sapphire glass is coveted because it's supposedly super rugged and highly resilient to scratches. At the same time, Corning recently announced its Gorilla Glass 4 product, it's strongest product yet, which is already shipping out to manufacturers.
Foxconn already handles the bulk of production for Apple's mobile devices, including its iPhone line, leaving little to no room to focus on building sapphire glass displays. However, the company reportedly plans to spend $2.6 billion on a new display factory in Taiwan.
Rumors are starting to rise that Foxconn will use the new facility to produce the coveted sapphire glass displays for Apple's next generation of iPhones. As the story goes, Foxconn already signed an agreement with the Zhengzhou city government in central China to setup a sapphire factory on a 133-hectare plot of land that sits right next to its iPhone 6 assembly plant. Talk about convenience.
It's unclear if Foxconn will actually be able to have its operations up and running fast enough to serve the very next generation of iPhones, as is being reported. These things take time, and it might be more likely to anticipate sapphire glass making a debut two generations from now.
Sapphire glass is coveted because it's supposedly super rugged and highly resilient to scratches. At the same time, Corning recently announced its Gorilla Glass 4 product, it's strongest product yet, which is already shipping out to manufacturers.
