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Thanks to the large following of Apple, there’s a lot of speculation as to what’s going to be produced in the Mesa manufacturing facility that was announced earlier this week.
Apple made a $578 million deal with a company called GT Advanced Technologies, to make “sapphire material” in this Mesa facility, a plant formerly occupied by First Solar.
See also:
–Apple to Open Manufacturing Facility in Mesa
While “sapphire material” is currently used to cover the camera lens for the iPhone, and for its fingerprint reader, it’s been pointed out by Apple followers that the company also applied for a patent on a certain process for using sapphire to build electronic devices, including within glass.
Wouldn’t you know it, GT Advanced Technologies produces sapphire screens for devices, as seen in this video that’s been circulated by tech writers:
Governor Jan Brewer announced that the plant “will create at least 700 quality jobs in the first year and generate significant capital investment,” but neither the governor nor either of the companies involved revealed exactly what’s going to be made there.
The state also hasn’t released deals of an “incentive package” with Apple, as the governor’s office told New Times that deal hasn’t been finalized.
Meanwhile, Brewer herself is currently leading a trade delegation to Taiwan, which some say could also be connected to Apple, in an attempt to get more of the company’s manufacturing done in Arizona.
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
