2015-02-09

LEDinside: Sapphire Substrate Market Growth to Soar in 2015

After Apple abandoned using sapphire protective glass covers in the iPhone 6 last year, sapphire substrates have been viewed as the equivalent to market speculation in the investment market. Following GT Advanced Technology’s (GTAT) bankruptcy filing in early October 2014, the idea of applying sapphire material in consumer electronics has become ridiculed on the mainstream market.
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2015-01-26

Apple iPhone 7 Rumored to Feature OLED Screens

Apple’s long term OEM Foxconn and Innolux will be producing OLED displays for upcoming iDevices, according to a report from Japanese media, Nikkan Kogyo Shumbun.
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2014-12-16

Apple Touch Screen Supplier Wintek Restructures to Become New LED Player

Taiwanese touch screen supplier Wintek laid off nearly 90% of its staff, as the financially struggling company aims to transform its business model to become a new LED manufacturer, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News report.
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2014-11-11

GT Advanced COO: Apple Used ‘Bait and Switch’ Tactic

Apple Inc. (AAPL) used “bait-and-switch” tactics in negotiating a contract with sapphire-maker GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (GTATQ), guaranteeing itself “heads I win, tails you lose” terms, a GT executive said in an unsealed court document.
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2014-11-06

Apple and GTAT Stick to Settlement after Unsealing of Documents

Apple and GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) settlement was unaffected by the publication of documents previously considered confidential, according to a Bloomberg report.
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2014-10-30

Apple iPhone 7 Rumored to be Featuring Sapphire Display

Many consumers are still waiting in line to receive their iPhone 6, hardly a month has gone by since the smartphone’s launch, but market rumors about its successor are already being leaked by a British Christian news website.
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2014-10-22

Apple Watch Turns to Third Party Sapphire Suppliers after Parting Ways with GTAT

After parting ways with former sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technology (GTAT), Apple will turn to third party sapphire suppliers to supply sapphire watch covers for the upcoming smartwatch, analyzed Seeking Alpha.
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2014-10-20

Apple’s Confidentiality Veil to be lifted in GTAT Bankruptcy Case

The seal on confidential documents signed between Apple and sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) is expected to be gradually lifted in its bankruptcy case, according to a Bloomberg report.
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2014-10-17

Oort Launches LED Lights for Smart Homes

oort, inventor of the unique, patent-pending technology that lets users create smarter homes and businesses, has today launched its online store to offer the first system of smart devices based exclusively on Bluetooth Smart, that can be controlled with a single app.
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2014-10-13

GTAT Slashes Jobs, Prepares to File Lawsuit against Apple

GT Advanced Technology’s (GTAT) recently carried out major job cuts, and intends to take legal action against former partner Apple, according to a Reuters report.
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2014-10-09

Is Apple Set to Acquire GTAT?

Since GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection this Monday, many industry insiders have speculated how this will impact Apple. While most Wall Street financial analysts believe Apple could walk away with GTAT’s sapphire equipment and patents at a bargain price, one report believes Apple could acquire GTAT.
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2014-10-09

Tera Xtel Sues Apple for Sapphire Camera Lens Patent Infringement

Taiwanese sapphire manufacturer Tera Xtel Technology filed a sapphire camera lens patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, Senao International and Vibao on Oct. 9, 2014 (Taipei time). The company is seeking compensation totaling NT $300 million (US $9.88 million) from the three companies.
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2014-10-08

GTAT Insolvency Marks Uncertain Future for Sapphire Cover Glass

U.S. sapphire furnace and sapphire manufacturer GTAT, the primary sapphire supplier to Apple, filed for bankruptcy on October 6. As of September 29, GTAT reported having US $85 million in cash. Under the $578 million multi-year agreement GTAT and Apple signed last November, GTAT must supply a certain volume of sapphire ingots to Apple while Apple was to pay GTAT in four installments with the final $139 million payment scheduled for the end of October. But low sapphire yield rates have made Apple withhold the last payment. Additionally, GTAT lost an American Arbitration Association (AAA) lawsuit against Taiwanese sapphire manufacturer Tera Xtal Technology in August. AAA ruled GTAT should return payment totaling $ 24 million for faulty sapphire crystal growth furnaces, which greatly strained the firm’s finances.
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2014-10-07

Strained Relations with Apple Sinks GTAT

Sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) bankruptcy protection announcement sent shockwaves throughout Wall Street on October 6, 2014. Investors and financial institutes were shocked, no one expected the seemingly promising Apple sapphire supplier to declare insolvency.
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2014-09-18

New Report Points Apple Had No Plans to Use Sapphire Glass on iPhone 6

Tim Bajarin, President of U.S. market intelligence company Creative Strategy, refuted an earlier report by PTT Research Senior Analyst Matt Margolis that Apple dropped sapphire substrate last minute because of Chinese sapphire glass processing manufacturers Biel Crystal and Lens Technology’s low yield rates.
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2014-09-04

Biel Crystal Emerges as Apple and Samsung’s Largest Screen Supplier

Chinese sapphire substrate manufacturer Biel Crystal, which has long kept a low profile, recently responded to market rumors about Lens Technology being a major smartphone screen supplier for Apple and Samsung, according to a Shenzhen Commercial report.
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2014-08-25

Xiaomi Copies Apple’s Launch of Limited Sapphire Glass Edition Phones

In the Western hemisphere, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has earned a reputation of being an Apple wannabe. Whether it is in the phone’s exterior design or operation system interface, Xiaomi tends to mimic Apple’s every detail (TechCrunch even made a graphic comparison last week to deliver the point), so it probably is not too surprising that it now wants sapphire glass for its premium smartphones too.
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2014-08-12

iPhone 6 Sticks to Dual-Flash LED Technology

Apple might still be using the dual-LED flash technology, True Tone Flash, in the latest iPhone 6 after all, according to numerous reports by MacRumors, Slashgear, 9to5Mac and others.
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2014-08-11

Crystal Applied Focuses on Expertise to Keep Position As Top Sapphire Substrate Manufacturer

Upholding a positive outlook on smartphone optical and LED application markets large demands, Taiwanese sapphire substrate manufacturer Crystal Applied has kicked off production expansion projects in Yancheng City located in Jiangsu Province in China. As more manufacturers expand production capacity in the industry, finding methods to increase profits will be key to survival, said Chang Chien-ming, Chairman of the company’s Yancheng City branch.
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2014-08-05

Only 10% of iPhone 6 Will be Using Sapphire Cover Glass

New rumors regarding limited usage of sapphire cover glass usage in iPhone 6 have emerged in Taiwan. According to a Chinese-language Liberty Times report only one out of 10 of Apple's new iPhone 6 will be using the sapphire cover glass.
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2014-07-14

Apple 5.5” iPhone 6 Production Issues May Delay Launch to 2015

Apple fans might be slightly disappointed to note the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 launch date might be pushed back to 2015, according to an Apple Insider report.
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2014-07-14

Takes a Car to Destroy Rumored Apple iPhone 6 Sapphire Phone Cover

A video released by Chinese media Apple Daily shows rumored Apple iPhone 6 sapphire phone cover withstanding coin and key scratches, and does not deform when bending. The phone cover even emerges unscathed after being forcefully thrown to the ground, and being roasted by a lighter. It took a 1.6-ton car to break the cover to several dozen pieces.
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2014-07-11

Apple Granted Trio of Sapphire Related Technology Patents

It has been reported that Apple has been granted new three new sapphire glass related patents from the U.S. Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 8, 2014. Discovered by AppleInsider, the three new patents cover a method to strengthen weak areas in sapphire display covers, application of sapphire to illuminate buttons, and embedded product details under a sapphire layer. 
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2014-06-27

Apple to Include LED Backlight in Future Macbook Keyboards

Apple has applied for a new patent for the development of an LED based keyboard, according to Patently Apple. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office published the company’s patent application on June 26, 2014. 
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2014-06-25

Chinese Media Reveal Apple iPhone 6 Release Date

Apple’s Chinese suppliers have leaked that the new iPhone 6 will begin mass production next month, reported Bloomberg. Increasing competition from other smartphone makers may have pressured the company into early production. 
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2014-06-23

GTAT Establishes Second Sapphire Manufacturing Facility to Satisfy Growing Orders from Apple

GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) is reportedly using the US $578 million received in prepayment from Apple to expand sapphire production through establishing an additional facility. This new facility will produce roughly 20 million sapphire displays per year on top of the 200 million estimated from earlier reports, said Analyst Matt Margolis via BGR. 
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2014-06-18

Apple On the Hunt for Lighting Partners in the Smart Home Sector

The growing smart home industry and intensifying competition has created new market situations, according to a Chinese language media CBN.com report. Apple has released its first smart home management App HomeKit at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in early June this year. The company is developing partnerships with numerous top lighting manufacturers on the smart home project.
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2014-06-13

GTAT Installing More Sapphire Furnaces at Apple Arizona Plant

GT Advanced Technology might be adding more sapphire furnaces at Arizona plant for Apple, according to UBS Analyst Steven Chin.
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2014-06-13

Apple Files Patent for iPad Smart Cover Technology

Apple received a patent on Thursday for an advanced iPad cover that contains both illumination and communication elements that will light up to alert users of notifications, according to AppleInsider. 
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2014-06-11

Apple's iWatch to Spur Sapphire Market Demands in 2015, Analyzes LEDinside

Apple’s iWatch to be released in late 2014 will be using sapphire watch covers, according to the latest “2014 Global Sapphire Market Report” by LEDinside, a research division of TrendForce. iWatch sapphire watch covers are expected to account for six percent of global sapphire market demands, the research organization projected.
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Tokushima, Japan - 6 March 2024: Nichia, the world's largest LED manufacturer and inventor of the high-brightness blue and white LED, has started mass production of the new UV-B (308nm) and UV-A (330nm) LEDs in its popular 434 Series packa... READ MORE

New XLamp® S Line LEDs enhance growth, last longer, lower energy costs Horticulture and other forms of agricultural lighting require application-tuned ratios of spectral content, high efficacy and long lifetimes. Whether you are interested... READ MORE