Refining existing products and continually experimenting with new materials has been an integral part of Apple’s new product development strategy. Securing long term deals for components that are used in iOS devices has become fairly common. From touch screens, flash storage to even bulk booking of courier services, Apple’s strategy has been to invest in long term healthy supply of components.

Apple uses Sapphire to protect the iPhone camera lens and now the iPhone 5s also uses it as a protective cover for Touch ID sensor. According to a new report published by AllThingsD, Apple is building a factory in Arizona to boost the manufacturing of sapphire. GT Advanced Technologies earlier this week announced that they have secured a multi-year deal with Apple to manufacture sapphire in the Arizona facility.

As a part of the deal between the two companies GT will supply and manage sapphire production and in return Apple will prepay approximately $570 million. The new facility will result in more than 2000 jobs in engineering, manufacturing and construction according to Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet. It was also revealed that the facility will run on 100 percent renewable energy from day one.

GT is expected to research and develop larger capacity furnaces to increase the production of sapphire and as a result reduce cost of the component. Apple’s increased interest in sapphire is certainly an indication of it becoming an integral part of future devices from the company.

Many are speculating that sapphire could possibly replace Corning Gorilla Glass, which has been used in more than 1.5 billion devices worldwide. This is based on the fact that sapphire is used in the high end watches. However, corning has come forward and published articles on why they don’t view sapphire as a threat.

Although sapphire is a leading product for the cover of watches and camera lenses, many of its features are not well suited for use in the consumer electronics industry.

According to tests performed by Corning, sapphire fails to provide the same durability when used at the same thinness as Gorilla Glass. However, the company agrees with the fact that sapphire is is harder to scratch.

It’s possible that Apple may use sapphire in the rumoured iWatch. Since watches are more prone to scratches the use of sapphire could make the product more resistant to scratches.

Apple is expected to introduce the new smart watch dubbed as “iWatch” in 2014. The watch is rumoured to provide a ‘connected’ experience. It will also feature sensors to track health related data. Samsung has already launched its own smart watch called Samsung Gear but the reviews haven’t been favourable. It will be interesting to see if Apple’s idea of a smart watch excites customers and if it manages to become a ubiquitous part of our lives.

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5S is widely rumored to feature a fingerprint sensor. New photos leaked by C Technology show packaging of the alleged iPhone 5S with the home button supporting a silver ring around it.

The photo of iPhone 5S box shows the front face of the new iPhone with iOS 7 home screen. The authenticity of the picture is hard to prove however, leaks and reports published in the past suggests that these may be real. We recently posted the news about  the photo of iPhone 5S home button flex cable appearing on the web. The cable had a new square  extension which points towards the inclusion of a new fingerprint sensor.

It’s interesting to note that during an episode of TWiT (This week in tech), Clayton Morris of Fox News shared that the new iPhone 5S home button will have a silver ring around it according to his sources. AppleInsider has published a detailed analysis of the possible use a silver ring around the home button of the next-gen iPhone.

According to the report, Apple could be using a smart sensor capable of inserting a low frequency RF signal as the finger touches the silver ring. The technology then recognises your fingerprint even as you touch the home button eliminating the need for any new swiping gestures. The whole experience could be seamless where the user would touch the home button and the iPhone will authenticate the user and unlock the phone.

Apple Inc. acquired Authentec for $356 million in 2012 which fuelled rumors about the possibility of the new fingerprint sensor. The company is known to acquire smaller companies for its talent for innovation in specific fields.

The inclusion of a silver ring around the home button as a mere design change would be against Apple’s design principles so it is certainly possible for the silver ring to be an integral part of the new hardware.

Apple will be unveiling the new iPhone 5S on September 10th as it hosts a media event to announce the release date.

iPhone 5S release date will be announced on September 10th during the special media event. However, a few customers are already excited about the launch and have been spotted camping outside Apple’s Fifth Avenue Store.

Major Apple product launches have received great first day response and customers often camp days in advance in anticipation of the release. This year campers have again set out their chairs on the streets waiting to be the first ones to buy the new iPhone 5S.

Apple’s new iPhone is expected to be released on September 20th in the US. The company is widely rumored to unveil two models this year. iPhone 5S will be the flagship model while iPhone 5C will be a more affordable option for the mass market.

According to reports and leaks in the past it is believed that iPhone 5S will feature A7 processor, dual-led flash, fingerprint sensor and advanced camera software. iPhone 5C is expected to support a plastic body with 4-inch retina display running the same hardware specification as the iPhone 5.

In addition to the media event in the US, Apple is also holding an event for the Chinese media in Beijing on September 11th. This move is being seen as a breakthrough deal with China Mobile, worlds largest telecom operator with over 700 million subscribers. Asian market is of strategic importance for Apple and the company is making more and more efforts to capture market share.

Are you excited about iPhone 5S launch? Will you visit the Apple Store on the first day to buy one? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{via 9to5 Mac}

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) on Wednesday issued invites for a media event in Beijing scheduled to be held on September 11. AAPL is holding another event in Cupertino, Calif. on September 10 where Apple Inc. could announce the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

This is the first time Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is holding the special iPhone event in China [Google Translate] in addition to the main event in the United States. It is being speculated that the media event in Beijing could suggest a possible deal with China Mobile, world’s largest telecom operator in terms of subscribers.

China is an important market for Apple to further its growth in revenue and market share. Apple executives have been in talks with China Mobile since many years however, the terms could not be agreed upon. China Mobile on record had stated many times that they were interested in bringing the revolutionary iPhone to their network.

As Apple is about to introduce the low-cost iPhone 5C and new iPhone 5S in gold and graphite color, it’s possible that these new launches could be closely tied to the China Mobile launch. The tag line on Apple’s invites states, “This should brighten everyone’s day” and the availability in multiple colors on the worlds largest telecom operator and at lower cost certainly reflect the theme of the event.

Analysts in the past have noted that Apple could see huge boost in China with the introduction of a low-cost phone. If Apple’s iPhone becomes available on China Mobile it could be considered a huge win for Tim Cook.

Apple has sent out media invites for iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C release date event. The iPhone keynote event as rumored in the past will be held on September 10th at 10 AM PST.

The media invite design has the Apple logo surrounded by colourful dots and carries the tagline, “This should brighten everyone’s day.” Apple is widely rumored to unveil the new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C during the keynote presentation. Colorful dots could suggest the rumored iPhone 5C to be available in different colors. A number of leaks in the past seem to true about the new cheaper plastic iPhone.

New cheaper iPhone 5C is expected to be a major hit in the Asian market and could potentially grab significant market share from Samsung’s low-end Android phones. WIth 4-inch retina display, A6 Chip, 1GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera and a smartphone running iOS 7 at lower price point could be huge win for the Cupertino, Calif. based company.

On the other hand, Apple will also announce the all-new iPhone 5S. While the design of the new iPhone will remain the same as the iPhone 5, Apple is expected to announce significant hardware improvements. The new iPhone 5S is rumored to feature fingerprint sensor, dual led flash for low light pictures and improved A7 processor.

During the media event Apple could release iOS 7 golden master seed to the developers and the new mobile OS could be made available to users in a weeks time. We could also get an update on new OS X Mavericks.

The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C could go on sale as early as September 20th with pre-booking starting about two-three days earlier.

{via The Loop}

The official packaging of the new cheaper iPhone 5C has leaked according to new photos published on the web. Apple is widely rumoured to unveil the next-gen iPhone sometime this month.

New photos have appeared on multiple online publications, the first set of photos appeared on Chinese site iApps.im and then on C Technology. The photos show an iPhone that appears to be enclosed in coloured plastic bodies. Judging by the looks of the iPhone 5C, the overall design resembles iPhone 5 with a plastic case around it.

The photos show blue, yellow and green colour iPhone 5C models. Apple’s next-gen products have often been subjected to leaks ahead of release date. The company’s supply chain is huge and its hard to monitor such leaks given the large scale production of the components.

Apple has gone one record to share their intent to double-down on secrecy however, year-after-year the number of leaks have only risen. Even though the company tries hard to retain the status of a secretive company that doesn’t believe in announcing plans about upcoming products, the rumour sites and their sources manage to get insider information.

iPhone 5C is Apple’s answer to the low-cost Android smartphones that are swarming the Asian market and grabbing significant market share. The new phone is expected to be priced at $399 without a two-year contract. The plastic body with hardware specifications same as iPhone 5 would significantly reduce the production cost for Apple.

With an entry price of less than $400 to the iOS ecosystem with a retina display smartphone could certainly create a stir in the market and create new demand for Apple. The new plastic model is expected to feature 8 megapixel camera and A6 chip with 1GB RAM.

If Apple releases plastic iPhone 5C would you buy it? Do you think this is a good move for Apple Inc.? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{MacRumors, Sim Only Radar}