In the wake of rumors that Apple’s 2017 iPhone will feature an all-glass body, Nikkei reports that Apple supplier FoxConn is in the process of developing a glass phone casing. Sources familiar with the developments said FoxConn has been experimenting with the glass chassis since last year, determined to secure its position as a key iPhone assembler.
“It is only natural that Foxconn is trying to come up with glass chassis as the capabilities to provide more components will bolster its standing within the supply chain and help with more orders,” one source said. FoxConn declined to comment.
Earlier this year KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a drastic iPhone redesign coming in 2017, with Apple switching to OLED displays and considering glass, ceramic and plastic casing options.
By April, Kuo doubled down on his prediction, claiming Apple will go with the all-glass body in an effort to keep the iPhone looking modern, ahead of competitors that are beginning to adopt the company’s current aluminum design. In May, Allen Horng, chairman and chief executive of Catcher Technology — which supplies metal casings for Apple’s iPhones — added fuel to the fire, claiming that Apple would be producing a glass-encased iPhone, but that “only one [iPhone] model will adopt glass casing next year,” leading to further speculation about whether the company would be producing two different models of its flagship device.
