Wired
Apple announced on May 10, local time, that it would provide another US$45 million in investment from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Corning, a US special glass and ceramic material company. In the past four years, Apple has invested Corning invested USD 450 million.
Apple stated that the investment will “expand Corning’s manufacturing capabilities in the United States and promote the development of new technologies to improve product durability and service life.” Industry insiders speculate that Corning may use this investment to develop a bendable glass for foldable mobile phone screens, which may be used in the foldable iPhone released in 2023.
14 years of cooperation, strengthened glass supply giant
Corning has been providing glass displays for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch products. The cooperation between the two companies has started very early. The first iPhone released by Apple in 2007 was equipped with a glass screen produced by Corning.
▲Jobs and the first generation of iPhone
Last year, they co-developed the ceramic shield technology for the iPhone 12 series, using a transparent and colorless glass ceramic to make the iPhone 12 screen. Glass ceramic is a new type of material with good toughness and light weight. It is composed of nano-ceramic crystals embedded in a glass matrix.
Apple claims that the screens made with this technology are “harder than the glass screens of any smart phone”, and that this technology increases the iPhone 12’s ability to withstand drops by 4 times.
In addition to Apple, there are many Android phones using Corning’s tempered glass Gorilla Glass to make screens, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra. Corning’s strengthened glass can provide excellent scratch resistance for mobile phones, and can also reduce damage to the phone screen caused by collisions and drops in daily use.
Research and develop a bendable glass screen?Is expected to catch up with Samsung’s folding screen technology
Apple did not disclose how Corning will use this $45 million investment, but industry insiders have linked this investment to Apple’s possible launch of a foldable iPhone in 2023.
As early as 2019, there were rumors that Corning was developing a bendable glass. In February last year, Corning revealed in an interview with foreign media that it is expected that equipment using this bendable glass technology will be available in the next 12 to 18 months.
▲Ultra-thin glass developed by Corning
If this kind of glass can be successfully developed, Corning can produce durable foldable smartphone screens without the need for plastic protective layer technology. Samsung used plastic protective layer technology in the foldable phone Galaxy Z Flip released in February last year. They added a soft and scratchable plastic layer to the glass screen to protect the screen.
Conclusion: Under the tide of “folding screen mobile phones”, technology first
As more and more mobile phone manufacturers launch folding screen phones, everyone is actually paying attention to Apple’s trends. This time, just as the rumors that “Apple will launch a foldable screen phone in 2023” flowed out, Apple announced an investment of 45 million US dollars in Corning, which may mean that Apple, which focuses on innovation and advanced technology, will invest in research and development of more robust and durable. Bend the screen.
In the future, the form of smart phones may become more diverse, including foldable screens. Behind these changes are the efforts of mobile phone manufacturers to expand mobile phone functions and improve user experience. To achieve this goal, capital investment and exploration of advanced technologies are indispensable.