Apple Surprised by GT's Bankruptcy Filing, Considering Next Steps

In the company's first public statement regarding the bankruptcy filing by its sapphire partner GT Advanced Technologies earlier this week, an Apple spokesman tells Reuters the company was surprised by the filing and that it is now figuring out its next steps.

"We are focussed on preserving jobs in Arizona following GT's surprising decision and we will continue to work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps," spokesman Chris Gaither said.

GT-logo2011-pms
GT reportedly fell into difficulty when Apple withheld a final $139 million prepayment loan, part of a roughly $580 million package intended to help GT start up operations at the Mesa, Arizona sapphire production plant owned by Apple.

With Apple opting not to use sapphire for the display on the iPhone 6 and under no commitment to purchase sapphire from GT, the sapphire producer quickly started running out of cash. And with repayment on the Apple loan set to start in January, if not sooner, GT found itself needing to enter bankruptcy protection while reorganizing its business.

While the Apple Watch will use sapphire on some models, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims GT's bankruptcy should have no impact on that product as Apple can source sapphire for that product from multiple sources.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
ipados 26 1 slide over

Apple Releases iPadOS 26.2 With Multitasking Improvements

Friday December 12, 2025 10:09 am PST by
Apple today released iPadOS 26.2, the second major update to the iPadOS 26 operating system released in September. iPadOS 26.2 comes a month after iPadOS 26.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iPadOS 26.2 continues with the multitasking improvements that were added with iPadOS 26.1. You can now drag and...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Update Now: iOS 26.2 Fixes 20+ Security Vulnerabilities

Friday December 12, 2025 11:11 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, and macOS 26.2, all of which introduce new features, bug fixes, and security improvements. Apple says that the updates address over 20 vulnerabilities, including two bugs that are known to have been actively exploited. There are a pair of WebKit vulnerabilities that could allow maliciously crafted web content to execute code or cause memory...

Top Rated Comments

wxman2003 Avatar
146 months ago
Apparently the sapphire glass did not meet Apple's new requirement of being bendable.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
146 months ago
Is it me or is Apple giving more and more statements than usual this year ?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mKTank Avatar
146 months ago
*Focused

No. The world doesn't revolve around the U.S.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
146 months ago
Apple loaned GT $441 million so far. GT is mismanaged and planned to not pay Apple back, which is why they filed bankruptcy.

Apple would be out another $139 million if they gave GT the remainder of the loan. GT would have just declared bankruptcy in January when the first payment came due.

It would be ridiculous for Apple to not pay $139 million to secure their $441 million investment, so Apple must have seen things going wrong at GT.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
146 months ago
I am likely missing some key aspects of the situation, but wasn't the bankruptcy due to an overreaction by the market regarding Apple not using Sapphire glass as their main display material for their new phones?

"The market" has nothing to do with a bankruptcy. You go bankrupt if you can't pay your bills. Your share price goes up or down if "the market" thinks you are doing well or badly. But what the market thinks doesn't affect your cash in the bank.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
840quadra Avatar
146 months ago
The stock price has almost nothing to do with the operations of a company with the exception of when you try to raise capital from the market. In that case, it only means that if the price of the stock goes down, you have to offer more shares of stock to get the same amount of cash, diluting the value of the current stock holders holdings.

Imagine if Apple stock today became only worth $1. Would Apple have to declare bankruptcy? No, because they have plenty of cash on hand and run a profitable business. It would make the executives sad because their compensation is based on stock, but it would not prevent them from operating the way they always have.

Most likely what happened is that GT expected to sell millions of screens and when Apple didn't purchase them they realized that they wouldn't have cash flow to operate. Bankruptcy allows you to not pay your creditors while you reorganize your company to again operate in a profitable way.

Again, when was this more than a rumor? Not trying to be confrontational, I just don't recall seeing any confirmed report of Apple's plans on Sapphire screens.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)