CES 2012: Gorilla Glass 2 to Allow for Thinner Stronger Phones

logoCorning officially announced their followup to Gorilla Glass today at CES 2012.

Apple has previously used the strengthened glass in their iOS devices. In 2010, David Pogue relayed a claim from a scientist that Apple was the #1 customer for Gorilla Glass and buys "practically all the Gorilla Glass that Corning can make." At least parts of the story were confirmed in Steve Jobs' biography. Corning reportedly shelved the idea for Gorilla Glass back in the 1960s but revived the project at the request of Steve Jobs in 2007. The original iPhone launched with the damage-resistant glass, though there has been some debate about whether it still is being used in their most recent models. Corning, of course, has never acknowledged Apple's usage but says that due to "customer agreements", they can't identify all devices that use their Gorilla Glass.

The new version of Gorilla Glass can be up to 20% thinner than the original and still retain the same strength. Alternatively, manufacturers could continue to use the same thickness, and benefit from greater strength. Manufacturers have already received samples of the new Gorilla Glass so it should start appearing in consumer products in 2012.

Here's a hands on demo at CES of the strength of the new Gorilla Glass:


The additional thinness offered by Gorilla Glass 2 is also said to result in brighter images and better touch responsiveness.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday February 20, 2026 3:21 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone this year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that Apple will release its first foldable device in 2026. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about ...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9...
Apple Watch 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know Feature

Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

Thursday February 19, 2026 7:38 am PST by
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Three Upcoming Apple Products Seemingly Spotted in macOS 26.3 Code

Friday February 20, 2026 7:36 am PST by
macOS 26.3 hints at Apple's rumored lower-cost MacBook, and two new Studio Display models, according to Macworld's Filipe Espósito. Espósito found the following codenames within macOS 26.3's source code, and he revealed the upcoming products that they likely correspond with, based on previous reporting from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and others. The codenames:J700: Lower-cost MacBook J427:...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

184 months ago
Although it's impressive, I don't think slowly applying pressure to the glass is the most common real world scenario people are concerned about.
Show an impact test.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
demodave Avatar
184 months ago
[url=https://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/10/ces-2012-gorilla-glass-2-to-allow-for-thinner-stronger-phones/)[/url]


Image (https://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2012/01/logo.jpg)

Corning officially announced (http://www.corninggorillaglass.com) their followup to Gorilla Glass today at CES 2012.

Article Link: CES 2012: Gorilla Glass 2 to Allow for Thinner Stronger Phones (https://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/10/ces-2012-gorilla-glass-2-to-allow-for-thinner-stronger-phones/)

I think this is tremendously cool for Corning (both the company and the town in Upstate New York) and for public awareness of glass and materials properties in general. (OK, I admit it, I'm a bit of an engineering geek.)

I already knew the "we found this in our archives" story with respect to Gorilla Glass. It would be fascinating (to me, at least) to know how the story proceeded from there. I can only imagine, "Hey, Bob, remember that tough old glass we made back then? There might be an application for that ..." and then, once it becomes clear that the market wants it, "Hey, you know, we did shelf this back then, but maybe we could make it even better!"

And, sadly, much of this can't happen if there aren't age-old scientists somewhere in the company who can still *remember* that wild-ass experimental result from "back in the day".
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
Its not just one guy. Everyone who uses gorilla glass in their handsets (like Samsung) makes a point of saying so.

Apple has never claimed to use gorilla glass in the iphone line. Most people have come to the conclusion that apple is not using gorilla glass for iphones because of widespread problems with shattering/cracks/etc with iphones.

People who insist that the iphone does use gorilla glass (such as yourself?) are doing so on supposition.

For all any of us know, Apple is using the gorilla glass in their Macbook Airs or iPads or something.

Only a few people know for sure...and they ain't talking.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
It's 2012. Why are videos like this still shot at the video quality of the iPhone 3G?!?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
184 months ago
If the same thickness creates brighter images then why not reduce power consumption by reducing light and have same great image but longer battery life and less heat..

Go to Settings > Brightness and adjust it.... :cool:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
184 months ago
OkOkOkOkOkOkOkOkOkOk:eek:

They should have equipment to actually go up to where it breaks, only then it's possible to compare, still good to see they improve.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)