According to Trendforce’s LEDinside research group:
Analysis of the iPhone 6 supply chain indicates related component suppliers need to ship products to OEMs for assembly in June 2014 to meet the September launch date. Yet, the research institute did not discover demands for smartphone cover glass. The sapphire glass version new iPhone will be issued in limited volumes this year, mostly because sapphire ingot manufacturers yield rates were lower than forecasts and issues involved in sapphire glass processing.
LEDinside reported that sapphire substrate prices have dropped as much as 5% to 10% quarter-over-quarter in July. Ingot pricing has also declined recently.
LEDinside also said it is not sure whether the anticipated iWatch will use a sapphire glass cover.
Apple and its sapphire glass-making partner GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GTAT) have said nothing about the availability of sapphire glass for either the iWatch or the iPhone 6. GT’s glass-making plant in Arizona may not be able to crank out enough sapphire glass for the expected demand for the next generation of iPhones, and if that is the case, Apple would likely try to score supplies from other sources, but based on the reported pricing that does not appear to be the case.
What all this adds up to is that the expected sapphire glass cover on the next iPhone may not actually be there when the product is introduced.
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