What you need to know
- Apple already invested $200m in Corning.
- Now it's invested an additional $250m.
- Corning makes toughened glass that is used in Apple products.
Apple had already invested $200m in glass maker Corning as part of a plan to plough money into manufacturing in the United States. And now it's added an extra $250m to Corning's Advanced Manufacturing Fund.
Apple says that the investment will help with "research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment and materials integral to the delivery of next-generation consumer devices." Apple obviously has skin in that game, with Corning's glass making it ever more difficult to break displays. With Apple making the front and rear of its iPhones from glass, it needs to be as tough as possible.
Corning already provides the glass that is used in iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. In fact, Apple also points out that Corning has been a partner since the early iPhone days.
"Apple and Corning's rich history dates back more than a decade, and our partnership revolutionized glass and transformed the technology industry with the first iPhone," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "This award underscores Apple and Corning's shared belief in the vital role that ingenuity plays in creating industry-leading products, and the pride that both companies take in applying American innovation and advanced manufacturing to solve some of the world's toughest technology challenges."
In the same press release Apple is quick to remind everyone that it "is responsible for creating and supporting 2.4 million US jobs across all 50 states, four times the number of American jobs attributable to the company eight years ago." This latest round of investment in Corning continues Apple's push to use US-based suppliers where possible.
