New reports suggest Apple’s new sapphire glass plant in Arizona will be turning out materials for Apple’s much-rumored “iWatch,” and not for use as screens in the next-generation of iPhones as believed.
Price is said to be the deciding factor, as Apple has apparently been unable to devise a way to add sapphire to the iPhone without substantially increasing the device’s cost. The rumors cropped up on a number of Chinese websites and were first noted by GforGames.
Similar issues are reportedly not affecting the screens for the rumored iWatch, and the rumors indicate that the wearable device’s 2-inch display will sport a protective sapphire layer, much like those used in high-end watches.
Apple currently uses sapphire to protect the iPhone’s rear-facing camera and the iPhone 5s’s Touch ID feature.
