国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Business / Companies

No sapphire? Huawei has got you covered

(Reuters) Updated: 2014-09-11 07:31

No sapphire? Huawei has got you covered

Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook speaks during an Apple event announcing the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, on Tuesday. REUTERS

Apple Inc may have disappointed many consumers by not putting sapphire glass covers on its new iPhone, but the scratch-resistant material is gradually making its way into mobile devices despite manufacturing challenges and high costs.

Speculation ran high in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's unveiling of the iPhone 6 that some models would have the extra protection after Apple arranged a partnership in November with United States-based GT Advanced Technologies Inc, a mineral crystal specialist, to make sapphire materials for its devices.

Apple said sapphire glass would be used on its first smartwatch. It also continues to use the durable material to cover the iPhone's camera lens and home button, but it gave no hints as to if, or when, the glass would be used on iPhone screens.

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd last week became the first major handset maker to announce the use of sapphire screen covers, saying it would release a limited edition version of its high-end phone with such protection.

No sapphire? Huawei has got you covered
iPhone 6 rollout bypasses mainland
 

No sapphire? Huawei has got you covered
Huawei unveils phone, just days before iPhone 6 release

Sapphire is the hardest material in nature after diamonds. It is used in light emitting diode lighting, high-end jewelry and military equipment such as submarine and rocket windows.

According to a survey by used phone marketplace www.uSell.com, the most wanted new iPhone 6 feature was sapphire glass, which is also more sensitive to the touch than other screen protectors.

Some Asian handset makers have been talking with the world's two biggest suppliers of raw sapphire glass: US-based Rubicon Technology Inc and South Korea's Sapphire Technology Co Ltd.

"All smartphone manufacturers have been meeting with all the major sapphire producers, including Rubicon," William Weissman, chief financial officer of Rubicon, told Reuters by e-mail.

Sapphire Technology said it had received inquiries from several handset manufacturers, although it declined to identify any prospective customers. Companies such as Rubicon and Sapphire Technology usually sell big chunks of glass to fabricators, which then slice it into thin wafers before polishing it.

Apple locked in exclusive supply of the material from GT Advanced with a $578 million investment in a sapphire manufacturing facility in Arizona.

Many analysts expect sapphire glass to be limited initially to premium products due to high prices and the defect rates stemming from difficulties in configuring the glass into smartphone covers.

Finished sapphire covers could cost as much as $45, compared with less than $10 for Gorilla Glass, the screen of choice for most smartphones, according to analysts.

Another Chinese company, Xiaomi Inc, has ordered sapphire covers for a limited edition premium smartphone, according to South Korea's Electronic Times.

China's ZTE Corp would use sapphire glass on wearable devices it was on the verge of pushing out, an executive said, but it did not have immediate plans to introduce such covers on smartphones.

Hot Topics

Editor's Picks
...
...
德令哈市| 南开区| 庆云县| 崇左市| 晋宁县| 丹寨县| 靖边县| 临夏县| 庄浪县| 隆子县| 达州市| 惠来县| 年辖:市辖区| 金湖县| 清水河县| 磴口县| 成安县| 神木县| 安多县| 江津市| 连云港市| 宝山区| 共和县| 筠连县| 驻马店市| 石首市| 芜湖市| 宁河县| 台江县| 当涂县| 搜索| 日土县| 嘉祥县| 隆化县| 五华县| 冀州市| 安宁市| 泰兴市| 剑川县| 扬中市| 内江市|