Next-generation portable devices from Apple could feature curved glass, as the company has allegedly bought new equipment in preparation to release devices with curved touchscreens next year and Apple’s competitors reportedly view curved glass displays as a way they can gain a competitive advantage over the iPhone maker, but Apple is believed to also be showing interest in curved displays. Curved glass devices aren’t unknown to the industry and Dell tried to make convex glass a special feature of the Venue Pro and later the regular Android-based Venue. The other companies are also working on products with curved cover glass to give them an edge over the competition…………….
Apple is reportedly planning to introduce curved glass displays to its iOS devices as early as next year and has reportedly invested in glass polishing hardware for its suppliers that will allow them to produce launch the first curved glass device in the first half of 2012. They cite industry sources who claim that Apple has bought equipment for production of devices having curved glass displays and curved glass displays aren’t very mainstream at the moment; there is only one smartphone that we know of which comes with a curved display that Google Nexus S. Apparently, smartphone manufacturers are looking towards curved touchscreens to gain an edge over Apple but, reportedly, Apple is interested in them too. If it turns out to be true, glass supply companies such as Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal and G-Tech will be the ones manufacturing the displays for Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and iPad products. There are a couple of interesting advantages that curved touchscreens have over the more conventional flat ones and it becomes easier to type as your fingers find curved surfaces to be more comfortable. From DigiTimes:
Suppliers of the non-Apple camp are working on products with curved cover glass in attempts to gain a competitive edge in the handheld device market dominated by Apple, sources in the glass industry said.
But Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass.
Changes in the upstream cover glass production may also result in changes in the touch panel sector, the sources said. Suppliers of thin film touch or one glass solutions (OGS) which integrate touch sensors into the cover glass are most likely to benefit.
However, the sources pointed out that curved cover glass may be a short-lived fashion, and it remains to be seen whether major handheld device suppliers are willing to keep releasing new models featuring curved cover glass.
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