Apple reportedly struggling to make enough of the expensive material

May 6, 2014 15:01 GMT  ·  By

A report out of China suggests Apple will only make sapphire displays for the 5.5-inch phablet planned for launch later this year, leaving the more traditionally-sized 4.7-inch iPhone 6 to use Gorilla Glass, as before.

A post on Weibo conveyed to the English-speaking part of the Internet by gforgames.com reveals that “Apple is reportedly planning on using sapphire glass in the production of the ‘iPhablet,’ and production costs prove to be a problem.” It adds, “Apple will produce only 10 million 5.44-inch iPhone 6 units throughout the product’s life-cycle,” according to supply chain sources.

The report seems to carry some weight as it includes some interesting figures, such as the fact that Apple will end up paying a whopping 1,743 yuan (or $280 / €200) per screen for each handset, raising the total price of the product to 8,000 yuan (or $1,285 / €921).

The iPhablet that the Chinese publication is mentioning has also been dubbed iPad Air by the media, as the company watchers expect the device to be extremely thin.

The first iPhone expected from Apple this year is reportedly the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. Going by the Chinese report in question, the company will refrain from using sapphire and will continue to rely on Gorilla Glass.