Former GT Employee Appears to Confirm Apple's Plans for Sapphire Display Covers

gt_sapphire_furnaceWhile it is commonly taken as a foregone conclusion that the sapphire partnership between Apple and GT Advanced Technologies is focused on iPhone display covers, it bears noting that the two companies have never publicly confirmed what the sapphire will be used for.

Sapphire is already used to protect the camera and Touch ID sensor on recent iPhone models, and the material is also said to be planned for Apple's rumored iWatch, but the sheer amount of sapphire production apparently involved points to much bigger plans such as iPhone display covers.

Given the lack of confirmation from the two companies, it is interesting that Paul Matthews, a former GT product manager, outright claims on his LinkedIn profile (via TechViking) that he played a key role in convincing Apple to use sapphire for display covers on "mobile devices."

Worked with GT Advanced Technology to help market and sell the idear [sic] of sapphire as a cover screen for mobile devices to Apple. [...]

After marketing and selling the ASF [advanced sapphire furnace] into the LED market targeted mobile screen covers as a market for growth, conducted a focused marketing campaign and developed a cost model across the supply chain that has brought sapphire to Apple’s mobile display

Matthews, who spent three years at GT before leaving in January to join Applied Materials, does not identify the mobile devices in question, but given circulating rumors, the iPhone is the obvious candidate. The iWatch could also be considered in the category of mobile devices, but in general it seems clear from Matthews' wording that Apple indeed has plans to use sapphire to protect device displays, a much broader use for the material than seen to date.

Alongside GT's apparently aggressive ramp-up of sapphire production at its new Arizona plant, rumors have indicated Apple had indeed been targeting the iPhone 6 for the launch of sapphire display covers. Analysts have, however, been debating how extensively the material will be used in the lineup's displays, with most claims ranging from only high-end models to not at all as Apple and GT work to boost production and overcome other hurdles.

(Image: GT sapphire furnace)

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

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...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
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 max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...
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...

Top Rated Comments

Jsameds Avatar
147 months ago
Anyone else spot the Macintosh in the pic? ;)

Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
147 months ago
These sapphire rumours has been up and down more often than Miley Cyrus' underwear.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
regbarc Avatar
147 months ago
idear (sic)
Not a typo if they're from Massachusetts.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madsci954 Avatar
147 months ago
Wait wasn't there an article a few days ago saying that there wouldn't be sapphire?
And a few days before that a report with confirming sapphire?
And a few days before that one with saying some would and some wouldn't have?
And before that one with only the 5.5'' model getting it?
And one before that saying that this was only for the watch?

Hm... :rolleyes:

I'm calling it Schrödinger's Tech. Until it is officially announced, it both exists and doesn't exist.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dilster3k Avatar
147 months ago
Wait wasn't there an article a few days ago saying that there wouldn't be sapphire?
And a few days before that a report with confirming sapphire?
And a few days before that one with saying some would and some wouldn't have?
And before that one with only the 5.5'' model getting it?
And one before that saying that this was only for the watch?

Hm... :rolleyes:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshdammit Avatar
147 months ago
These sapphire rumours has been up and down more often than Miley Cyrus' underwear.

To be fair, most people take take underwear off and put underwear on every day. Even more if they're changing into a bathing suit. Plus, Miley Cyrus is a performer and probably has to change into a lot of outfits, which may involve taking off her underwear.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)