Gtat can not tell you why they filed for bankruptcy protection – 99mac

It is becoming more and more questions about the sapphire glass maker GT Advanced Technologies, which earlier this week filed for bankruptcy protection. The Company has now informed the American courts that they can not explain why they file for bankruptcy protection because of a confidentiality agreement, reports Recode.

GT Advanced Technologies has asked the court to review the bankruptcy to keep some important documents secret, that relates to a third party. According Gtat would protect the company from having to pay damages for breach of a confidentiality agreement. They did not disclose the name of the third party, or what the confidential agreement expires on.

Apple previously announced that they are surprised Gtat’s application, although a contributing factor to the situation seems to be a non-payment of $ 139 million (about one billion dollars) as Gtat waiting for from Apple. The reason is that the sapphire crystal manufacturer has not lived up to its commitments in terms of production targets.

Iphone plans unknown

When the factory in Arizona was opened it was rumored that production would consist of screens for new iPhone models. The capacity is estimated at over 100 million screens per year of sapphire crystal. When the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus unveiled in September, they had not displays of sapphire crystal, without ion-doped glass.

This announcement led to speculation that Apple shortly before launch decided not to use sapphire crystal, due to GT Advanced failed to produce sufficient quantities of good quality. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (requires login), it was precisely these production problems that made Apple not to use sapphire crystal, and also retain the payment to Gtat.

Would it be sapphire crystal

Much is unclear regarding safirglasens be or not to be, and will probably remain so. Apple is usually notoriously not disclose their plans, and whether the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from the beginning would have had displays of sapphire crystal or not will hardly be revealed. Several arguments for pure sapphire crystal is a bad option for a mobile phone screen has been put forward, including a Time.

However, stated the reason why Apple chose to work with just GT Advanced be that these had a better method of producing sapphire crystal which among other things made the material more shock-resistant, reports 9to5mac. Tasks before the iPhone launch, it was alleged that the screens would not consist of pure sapphire crystal, but a laminate that would be more suitable, and that Apple patented.

Damages of $ 50 million

GT Advanced Technologies also stated to the Court that they are aware of the request to keep certain documents secret is unusual. However, they are still forced to make the request to avoid the risk of paying up to $ 50 million in damages, representing 361 million. The company has also requested the closed deliberations of the Court.

The future of Gtat is thus uncertain, and so also how this may affect any future products with sapphire crystal. If not this year’s iPhone models had been planned with sapphire glass, the question remains what such large amounts of glass in that case would be used for. It seems unlikely that the components Touch ID and camera lens on the iPhone and the upcoming iPad models would correspond to a production capacity equivalent to 100 million monitors.

Another product which Apple has said will be protected by sapphire crystal are some models of the future at Apple Watch. How Gtat’s bankruptcy proceedings will affect this production is, like much else in terms of sapphire crystal, unknown.