Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), announced today through a press release that it is investing no less than 200 million dollars in the Corning company, which produces the well-known Gorilla Glass. The investment of 200 million dollars is made by Apple to help Corning develop future protective panels for smartphone screens.
According to those from Apple, Corning needs this money to buy special equipment in the factories it has, which will allow it to produce the future Gorilla glass panels. A factory in the USA is going to benefit from this investment, Apple now admitting for the first time that it has been using Gorilla Glass panels in the iPhone for 10 years.
The investment from Apple is part of a plan to invest 1 billion dollars in American companies, so a fifth of the amount will go to Corning. Considering that Apple has been buying Corning products for years and years, the investment is a normal one and will probably lead to a reduction in the purchase costs for the Gorilla Glass panels in the iPhone.
It is interesting that Apple now recognizes the 10-year-old partnership it has with Corning, a lot of people doubting that it exists in reality. How much Apple will benefit from this investment in Corning remains to be seen, but we are talking about a very brave move on the part of those from Cupertino.
"Corning is a great example of a supplier that has continued to innovate and they are one of Apple's long-standing suppliers. This partnership started 10 years ago with the very first iPhone, and today every customer that buys an iPhone or iPad anywhere in the world touches glass that was developed in America. We're extremely proud of our collaboration over the years and we are investing further with Corning who has such a rich legacy of innovative manufacturing practices."
