The iPhone 6 continues to be the focus of rumors within the tech industry. This time, one site reports that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is putting a lot of effort into redoing the camera, while another site indicates that the handset could indeed have sapphire glass, as some have speculated in the past.
iPhone 6 may have sapphire display
Late last year, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) sunk a sizeable chunk of cash into sapphire glass maker GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT). Apple was said to be trying to get the company’s sapphire glass making facilities up and running by this month. At that time, early speculations that the iPhone 6 would feature the unbreakable glass began. However, 9to5 Mac now has nearly confirmed those speculations—if the site’s sources are to be trusted.
Mark Gurman says they have procured documents which show that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) now has access to enough sapphire glass furnaces to make between 100 million and 200 million 5-inch iPhone displays. Shares of GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT) rose nearly 7% today after the news was reported.
GTAT bumps up sapphire glass production
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has used sapphire glass in its TouchID fingerprint scanners and camera sensors, but bumping up the amount of glass to cover the entire display would require quite a bit more material. According to 9to5 Mac, import and export records suggest that GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT) is preparing to manufacture significant amounts of displays made from sapphire glass. The company has reportedly ordered Intego Sirius Sapphire Display Inspection Tool components. The reason for the order is listed as optimizing and lowering the costs of manufacturing sapphire glass displays while also boosting yield.
Of course just because GT Advanced Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:GTAT) is boosting its sapphire glass making capabilities doesn’t mean all that product will be for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), however, Gurman points to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission which suggests that the work is only for Apple.
iPhone 6 to sport a much better camera
But sapphire glass could be just a small part of what the iPhone 6 has to offer. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans have been hoping for a better camera in the iPhone for some time, and they might finally get it. The company has filed several patents for camera technology over the last year or so, but we haven’t seen any of that tech show up in the iPhone yet. However, if Mac Rumors is right, then there will be a new enhanced filter instead of the hybrid IR filter the iPhone 5S have. That new filter could have a resin lens filter which is made by JSR.
The website cites sources within Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Taiwanese supply chain and the Chinese website IT168. The sources also suggested that the iPhone 6 will sport at least a 10-megapixel camera instead of the 8-megapixel one that’s in the iPhone 5S. However, they contract other reports which previously suggested that the iPhone 6 would still have an 8-megapixel camera.
