The Sapphire Glass used by Apple will be made in the USA

From 2014, the sapphire used by Apple will be manufactured in Arizona

Currently, product manufacturing companies are taking their production plants to China. The reasons are; the low price of labor, the large amount of materials in the area and the beneficial working conditions (for the companies, not for the employees).

Despite being a widespread practice, it is still frowned upon by many citizens who see their jobs replaced by foreign workers. Perhaps for this reason, Apple has reached an agreement with the sapphire glass manufacturing company GT Advanced Technology, located in Arizona (USA).

The Sapphire Glass used by Apple will be made in the USA
The Sapphire Glass used by Apple will be made in the USA

For Apple, China is not only one of the most important markets for the sale of products, it is also considered an important production centre. In the Foxconn factories, among others, the Cupertino factories assemble the iPhone 5s and 5c, the iPad Air and iPad Mini and many more products. This was causing a slight discomfort in the USA, where the company is headquartered, so Apple started to move and decided to manufacture the Mac Pro exclusively on American soil .

Decisions like these helped create almost 1,600 jobs in the United States. Now, with an investment of $578 million, GT Advanced Technology will be responsible for manufacturing the sapphire glass used in the bitten apple products. From 2014, the crystals for the cameras and the Touch ID readers will be manufactured in Arizona . This will create about 700 direct jobs and more than 1,300 indirect jobs, according to Governor Jan Brewer.

Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in …

However, the agreement does not end here. The production plant has promised to run almost exclusively on renewable energy, in line with Apple’s idea of non-polluting. Also specifies that the renewal of the agreement is set for 2016 with the possibility of adding other work , which gives the possibility of using sapphire in more parts of the iDevices or in new products. We do not know if it will be on the screen, abandoning the Gorilla Glass, or in some aspect of a future design that we do not know yet.

What seems to be clear is that, little by little, the famous phrase of ” Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China ” may be coming to an end. As Appleinsider points out, the use of sapphire and its production in the USA may make the device more expensive to manufacture, but, in return, ensures greater durability, as well as greater lightness and thinness than other solutions .

What do you think? Would you pay a premium for having sapphire glass on your screens, instead of the current one that can be scratched?

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