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Gorilla Glass Maker Corning Gets $200 Million From Apple's US Manufacturing Investment Fund (techcrunch.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Apple made news and scored some positive PR earlier this month when the company announced a $1 billion fund aimed at investing in U.S.-based manufacturing. Now it's ready to announce the first big investment from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund. New York-based Corning Incorporated will be receiving $200 million from the tech giant's coffers, money that will go toward its Harrodsburg, Kentucky R&D facility. Corning is a logical first choice for Apple. The two companies have worked closely for roughly a decade, when Apple first pushed Corning to create a chemically strengthened glass for the iPhone. The resulting product, Gorilla Glass, has since become the standard for nearly every smartphone maker out there. As Apple helpfully adds in a news release touting the funding, the relationship thus far "has created and sustained nearly 1,000 U.S. jobs across Corning's R&D, manufacturing and commercial functions, including over 400 in Harrodsburg." And indeed, aside from a brief dalliance with synthetic sapphire crystal a couple of years back, it's been a pretty fruitful partnership.
time for transparent aluminum to be invented
Nullius in verba
Corning has already had a short period in which Apple tried a different supplier. They've also has similar deals come and go over their 165 year history. Corning is a major supplier and leading innovator in speciality glass and ceramic products, and optics, used in many different industries.
Apple is an important customer, for sure, but far from their only customer. Corning was a leader in their industry long before Apple even existed. They wouldn't be going out of business without Apple, just R&Ding their next big thing. Just like Corningware was great for Corning for a while, then that levelled off.
Wired has a better article on how gorilla glass came to be
https://www.wired.com/2012/09/ff-corning-gorilla-glass/all/
Yes, and this 'investment in american manufacturing' is quite obviously not that at all.
1. Corning have no need for the money, so it is obviously not a growth investment, it is purchasing something.
2. Gorilla glass is a well understood and developed product.
3. Apple turned their back on Gorilla Glass generations ago, after a fight with Corning over pricing (Apple wanted their usual below cost pricing it seems..).
4. Apple would not even be the largest client for this particular product of Corning.
I would say it is MUCH more likely that this is Apples way of buying themselves back in to the gorilla glass game, after the long and unhappy breakup since the first iphone.
It often amazes me the number of iphone users I see using phones with cracked screens because a) they break damn easily, and b) they cost so much to repair.
All in all, most certainly NOT the kind of thing the koolaid slurpers were crowing about with this fund, not even close.
Corning already make some of the product in the Us, however most of it is made in Taiwan..