Apple Working on Curved-Glass iOS Devices for First Half of Next Year?

Digitimes reports that Apple and other handheld device vendors are making plans to begin releasing devices featuring curved glass in the first half of next year.

Suppliers of the non-Apple camp are working on products with curved cover glass in attempts to gain a competitive edge in the handheld device market dominated by Apple, sources in the glass industry said.

But Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass. Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal, G-Tech are said to be major cover glass suppliers of Apple. While Lens and Fuji focus on iPhones, G-Tech supplies mainly for iPad.

The publication reported similar claims of curved glass for the iPhone 5 back in May, but those claims have not borne out in either the iPhone 4-like "iPhone 4S" design or the redesigned iPhone 5 seen with a tapered form factor in third-party cases.

Fourth-generation iPod nano with curved glass (Source: Mail Online)
The reported timeframe of the first half of next year cited in the new report leads to questions about exactly which product line would adopt the curved glass. The iPad 3 is certainly expected to be introduced within that window, but it is unclear if the next iPhone would also make its debut before the end of June considering the apparent October introduction of the iPhone 4S/5.

Tag: digitimes.com

Top Rated Comments

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Northgrove

101 months ago

I don't like that the rumors seem to be going towards an iPhone 4S soon this October, and iPhone 5 "sometime ahead, sometime first half 2012". Fortunately I'm not in a hurry, and can't really get a new one until the next year anyway. Not everyone's in that situation though, and I understand you. :p

Rating: 3 Votes

qtaran111

101 months ago

I'm sure Samsung's lawyers are rubbing their hands together at the thought of Apple releasing an iOS device with curved glass.

Rating: 3 Votes

disarticulate

101 months ago

For those of you who already sold your iPhone 4s, you should have known better.

Real classy. How about you hold off a couple weeks before you start dishing out the "I told you so."

Also, I've never sold an iPhone for less than I paid for the new model. Have a great day. :D

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Isn't Apple in the market for curved glass in the upcoming spaceship campus? Far beyond the scope of mobile electronics glass, but curved glass nonetheless.

Rating: 3 Votes

acfusion29

101 months ago

Curved glass would look like crap especially on a 4" screen. Dunno why they add it anyway, does it add strength or something if you were to drop it.

i'm sure it would be a subtle curve.

i think the point of it is so you can see in sunlight better.

Rating: 2 Votes

Riemann Zeta

101 months ago

Isn't the point of a capacitative screen to have a smooth, flat crystal surface that is very precise and responsive to touch? Wouldn't a slightly spherical crystal (like the old CRT tube TV glass) completely fail in achieving this? Having spherical glass would cause planar image distortion at the edges (like a CRT) and would also mean that different parts of the glass would have different touch sensitivity (due to the center of the glass being farther away from the touch sensor than the edges). Bad idea, 'nuff said.

Rating: 1 Votes

room237

101 months ago

Curved glass back... Hmm... Are you sure there isn't any way we can make them more fragile?

Rating: 1 Votes

adildacoolset

101 months ago

Curved glass would look like crap especially on a 4" screen. Dunno why they add it anyway, does it add strength or something if you were to drop it.

A curve does add strength. Just think, why are water dams curved? In fact, curves are extremely tough

Rating: 1 Votes

AllieNeko

101 months ago

A curve does add strength. Just think, why are water dams curved? In fact, curves are extremely tough

Dams are curved towards the reservoir so that the weight of the water pushes the sides of the dam into the mountain sides rather than down the stream.

Rating: 1 Votes

mtbgtr

101 months ago

Concave surface not convex like the Nano. Slightly concave would be make swiping closer to how you hand naturally wants to work, or so the bio-engineers say. Check out the Samsung Nexus S which has it.

Rating: 1 Votes