Apple and GT Advanced Crystal Technologies building Sapphire Plant in Arizona – Arizona people working to coat Apple iPhone in Unbreakable Sapphire with possible Jamaican Bauxite Industry Revival coming

It’s that time of year Apple Sheep and Fanboys, whichever name you prefer!

Apple iPhone 6 rumours are already in full swing and none more exciting than the idea the Apple iPhone 6 may be made with Sapphire as stated in the article “Apple closer to mass producing Sapphire displays, report says”, published February 6, 2014 2:55 PM PST by Desiree Everts DeNunzio, CNET News.

So it IS more than just the little glass Screen on the Touch ID Sensor as I’d predicted in my blog article entitled “Apple iPhone and the Sapphire plated Touch ID Fingerprint scanner - The Death of passwords and the birth of Biometrics”.

Most likely, it’s the Screen for the Apple iPhone, based on hastily submitted patents by Apple detailing its use on the screen and camera as noted in “Sapphire shines when it comes to protecting future iPhones”, published January 23, 2014 8:16 AM PST by Lance Whitney, CNET News.

It might even be the Edge-to-Edge display that Apple Fans have been dreaming up online, ditching the need to have a Bezel altogether, based on these patents alone as opined in “iPhone 6 speculation goes bezel-less”, published February 11, 2014 10:23 PM PST by Brooke Crothers, CNET News. This of course based on speculation from the Korean Herald as reported in “Samsung, Apple vie to roll out slimmer, savvier next-generation smartphones”, published 2014-02-11 20:03, The Korea Herald.

This also hints at the idea of a larger 5 inch display as stated in “Visions of a larger iPhone 6 are stunning”, published February 7, 2014 9:25 AM PST by Eric Mack, CNET News. Italian designer Federico Ciccarese mock-ups in the video below suggests that Apple might also be planning to throw their hat into the phablet market (???), which from my point of view is highly unlikely.

 

More interestingly, it’s yet another product or component in this case to be manufactured in the US of A aside from the Apple Mac Pro as described in my blog article entitled “Apple launches Retina dipslay 13-inch and 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro and the Apple Mac Pro - Expensive upgrades with Graphics and Programming Professionals in mind”.

Apple’s Sapphire Plant – Jobs for Arizona people as Apple get coated in Unbreakable Sapphire

Apple allegedly is setting up an Arizona Plant to Mass Produce Sapphire for displays by February 2014 as stated in “Apple to make critical new component at Sapphire Plant”, published January 30, 2014 6:32 AM PST by Lance Whitney, CNET News. Truth be told this isn’t news, as Apple had announced as far back as Tuesday November 5^th 2013 as noted in the article “Apple inks $578 million deal for Sapphire production”, published November 5, 2013 8:43 AM PST by Don Reisinger, CNET News.

Apple had stated that they had the intention to build yet another manufacturing Plant in the USA to create more jobs manufacturing their products similar to the one already manufacturing the cylindrical shaped Apple Mac Pro in Texas as described in “A US-made Mac Pro is a token gesture”, published October 23, 2013 4:00 AM PDT by Roger Cheng, CNET News. 

Apple had also signed a US$578 million deal with GT Advanced Technologies to set up a Plant to mass-produce the Sapphire for Apple Products on the same date as the Arizona Plant announcement as stated in “Apple inks $578 million deal for Sapphire production”, published November 5, 2013 8:43 AM PST by Don Reisinger, CNET News.

Apparently the money was ponied up by Apple as a down payment on the Plant that GT Advanced Technologies would own, as GT Advanced Crystal Systems will pay back the amount to Apple by 2015 and possibly may manage the Plant on Apple’s behalf.

GT Advanced Technologies and Sapphire Screens – Alumina may be the Source Material

GT Advanced Crystal Systems is the company that developed the technology to manufacture Sapphire for commercial usage and they own the Furnaces used to make Sapphire as described in my blog article entitled “Sapphire Screens for smartphones by Q1 2014 - Unscratchable Sign of Virgo is the Man of Steel to revive Jamaican Alumina Industry”.

According to the Analyst Matt Margolis in the article “Apple closer to mass producing Sapphire displays, report says”, published February 6, 2014 2:55 PM PST by Desiree Everts DeNunzio, CNET News Apple is seriously “a go hard pon dis’ one”:

1.      518 furnace and chamber systems

2.      103 million to 116 million 5-inch displays per year Fabrication capacity

3.      420 machines are still being ordered

4.      938 furnace and chamber systems in total

Apple has also allegedly ordered Intego Sirius Sapphire Display Inspection Tool components to ensure quality control for the manufacturing of the screens, suggesting that this is a critical component of the Apple product and may in fact be a screen, such as for the Apple iPhone 6.

Folks, no matter which way you interpret this, that’s a LOT of Sapphire and it definitely has to be for some screen element for a mass-produced Apple Product as stated in “Apple's Arizona Plant could make 'unprecedented' amounts of Sapphire”, published February 10, 2014 8:01 AM PST by Shara Tibken, CNET News. Token gesture or not, the job numbers aren't bad and marks good PR (Public Relations) for Apple, demonstrating that they are bringing American Jobs home:

1.      700 Employees

2.      1,300 during construction

Apple also plans to make the Plant operate off-the-grid and be totally solar powered, a coupe for the Tree-hugging environmentalist types. Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet in speaking to CNET News back in November 2013, put it best, quote: “We are proud to expand our domestic manufacturing initiative with a new facility in Arizona, creating more than 2,000 jobs in engineering, manufacturing, and construction. This new Plant will make components for Apple products and it will run on 100 percent renewable energy from day one, as a result of the work we are doing with SRP to create green energy sources to power the facility”.

ALCOA, Jamaica Bauxite Industry Revival coming – Corning Glass on the Ropes

                                      

So what will the source material be for the Sapphire? Most likely Alumina from Bauxite, which can be processed in the Furnaces and chambers to produce Sapphire as explained in my blog article entitled “Sapphire Screens for smartphones by Q1 2014 - Unscratchable Sign of Virgo is the Man of Steel to revive Jamaican Alumina Industry”. So Jamaica and other Alumina producers worldwide may stand to benefit, as if Apple starts doing it, the other Smartphone manufacturers are sure to follow.

To keep up with the demand, Apple may need to secure supplies of Alumina as a starter material to make Sapphire, as chemically they are similar, differing in terms of the arrangement of the molecules that make up each material.

The company with the most to fear however, is Corning as noted in “Why Apple is investing in Sapphire glass for the iPhone 6, and why Corning should be nervous”, published February 12, 2014 at 12:00 pm By Sebastian Anthony, ExtremeTech. If Sapphire makes a huge debut on Apple iPhones, rest assured it’ll be coming to other Apple Products.

Sapphire may eventually end up being used on their Apple iMacs as well and even their future Apple Television sets as described in  my blog article entitled “Apple to launch TV and a Cloud Gaming Console in 2014 - How the Apple iTV and Television Set can kill The Grandmaster in the guise of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft”.

Folks, stay tuned for more developments and rumours on the Apple iPhone going Sapphire as this may well be Corning’s Pompeii (2014).