MythBusters Hosts Explain the Corning Gorilla Glass 4

MythBusters Hosts Explain the Corning Gorilla Glass 4

Mythbusters

Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, hosts of Discovery Channel’s MythBusters, explain the new Gorilla Glass 4 by Corning. The Gorilla Glass has been in the display covers of Apple’s iPhones and iPads since the first editions of the devices.

Recently, however, there are rumors that Apple will use Sapphire displays next, as Apple reportedly tied up with Sapphire glass maker, GT Advanced Technologies. The supposed Apple – GT Advanced Technologies tandem failed, though, as the latter filed for bankruptcy and even put the blame on Apple. The Cupertino-based maker of iOS devices uses sapphire glass for the upcoming Apple Watch, except Apple Watch Sport model, which uses Gorilla Glass.

Meanwhile, Corning announced last week Glass 4, and said it doubles the hardness of the glasses in contemporary mobile devices. Corning added that Glass 4 can take dropping onto a rough surface up to 80 percent.

MythBusters duo Hyneman and Savage walked through the details of demonstrating how the glass of Apple’s latest iPhone compares to those in 2008 devices, then shattered the glass. A modern-looking phone survives the tests without scratch, and it appears to be Motorola’s Moto X. Thanks to the compressive strength of the glass – the force combination of the inner and outer layers. The duo then showed the glass manufacturing process when the exchange of ions takes place to come up with a glass which compressive strength is molded when large ions replace the small ones, and tune the compression and tension balance in the glass.

Corning likewise envisions its glass not just for mobile devices, but for other purposes as well. The pair showed how a windshield made of Gorilla glass took a simulated pebble strike, where the new and the thinner Gorilla Glass version was spectacularly less damaged.

The release of Corning’s Glass 4 seems to be the company’s way of keeping the sapphire glass out of Apple’s next iPhone model. In the midst of rumors that Sapphire displays in mobile devices were coming out, and without any idea of the upcoming bankruptcy of GT Advanced Technologies, the Gorilla glass maker continued to improve its product in an attempt to reduce the onslaught of Sapphire glass.

Enderle Group principal analyst Rob Enderle said the Sapphire glass is proof that consumers want a harder glass than Corning’s. Thus, Corning comes up with Gorilla Glass 4, which is a more robust glass. He added that Corning has to get around with the Sapphire glass characteristics, using its own technology.

Analyst Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research said Gorilla Glass 4 is Corning’s natural progression, just like CPU chips, which get smaller, faster and more efficient. The glass would progress to be stronger and lighter.

Both Sapphire and Gorilla glasses have their own respective markets. Chowdhry added that in the consumer world, the product does not depend on the supply chain, and that it was a wise move for the Cupertino-based iPhone maker not to depend solely on the supplier, lest the iPhone 6 would not have come out.

According to Sean Udall of Quantum Trading Strategies, iPhones with Sapphire glass could still be possible with Corning helping, or it would hire a company to replace GT Advanced.

Meanwhile, the infomercials by the Mythbusters duo have the videos published by Corning, which may be favorable to Corning but do not taint the lesson from the presented tech history overview.

Blog By Judith Aparri

Source:
Appleinsider

Image courtesy of Ken ConleyFlickr License

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