How Apple's Billion Dollar Sapphire Bet Will Pay Off

alphadogg writes: "Apple is making a billion dollar bet on sapphire as a strategic material for mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad and perhaps an iWatch. Exactly what the company plans to do with the scratch-resistant crystal – and when – is still the subject of debate. Apple is creating its own supply chain devoted to producing and finishing synthetic sapphire crystal in unprecedented quantities. The new Mesa, Arizona plant, in a partnership with sapphire furnace maker GT Advanced Technologies, will make Apple one of the world's largest sapphire producers when it reaches full capacity, probably in late 2014. By doing so, Apple is assured of a very large amount of sapphire and insulates itself from the ups and downs of sapphire material pricing in the global market."

Comments

Re:Should have gone with ruby....

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Obviously, Apple doesn't want any of that Chromium stuff in their app store.

Re:Well.

[viperidaenz]

a metric shitton of sapphire

Exactly. Not one of those ill-defined imperial long shit tons and short shit tons.

Re:Well.

[plover]

Make it harder sells it better
Work 'em faster Apple's stronger
More than ever iPhone after
iPod works the Android over

Re:Well.

[Anonymous Coward]

I would think some rubber buffer around the glass could be used to add a lot of break resistance.

rubber doesn't really go with apple's metal and glass stylistic sensibilities.

You just don't get the same sensation with that rubber buffer around your...oh wait, sorry, wrong forum.