Apple to release iPhone that’s made entirely of glass according to latest rumours

There is speculation that the Taiwanese company that makes much of Apple’s metal casing would lose out

Andrew Griffin
Wednesday 25 May 2016 12:22
Comments
Imagination supplies the graphics technology for the iPhone
Imagination supplies the graphics technology for the iPhone

Apple is gearing up to make an iPhone made almost entirely out of glass, according to one of its biggest suppliers.

The company will look to differentiate itself by dropping the metal that it is currently constructed out of, according to the firm that makes much of that same metal.

Many rumours have suggested that the phone set to be released later this year – likely the iPhone 7 – will appear mostly similar to the existing 6 and 6s. But in 2017, the company is expected to completely re-design the phone, bringing in new screen technologies and an entirely new look.

That rumour had led to some speculation among local suppliers that the Taiwanese company that makes much of Apple’s metal casing would lose business to the ones that make its glass screen covers. But Allen Horng, CEO of Catcher Technology, said that the company will still be able to supply products to some of the phones – while apparently confirming that Apple will bring in the glass design.

“As far as I know, only one [iPhone] model will adopt glass casing next year,” Mr Horng said after the annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. “I don't think this move will have an impact on Catcher's revenue as glass casing still needs a durable metal frame which requires advanced processing technology and would not be cheaper than the current model.”

Google Chrome to stop backspace being a ‘back’ button

Google Chrome is finally going to stop people from accidentally deleting everything they’ve been doing.

A future version of the app will stop the backspace button from also functioning as a “back” button, helping avoid people accidentally pressing it and so destroying everything they’ve done on that site.

The feature has already been rolled out in some experimental versions of the app, and has upset some users. Developers have said that the feature is only being partly enabled for now, in case there is “sufficient outcry” and it needs to be rolled back.

Future Macs to be unlocked with fingerprint sensor

People will very soon be able to unlock their computer remotely.

Upcoming versions of Mac OS X will be able to tell when a person’s phone is near the computer and then use its TouchID fingerprint sensor to unlock it, according to MacRumors.

That update could be announced in June, at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. It’s likely to be a part of the new version of Mac OS X, called 10.12, which will be made available to the public in the autumn.

Facebook home page could be split apart

Facebook is testing potentially the biggest change to its news feed since it launched.

The site is planning to split the feeds up into separate topics, according to screenshots that seem to show versions of the new look being tested.

Some users are already seeing their news feed divided up into categories. Those can include topics like TV and movies, music or travel.

People who have the new feeds are instructed to add different subtopics into those particular feeds. So if a person has a “TV & Movies” feed, for instance, they’ll be given the option to tick all of the films they like and Facebook will show stories and posts that are about those topics.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Please enter a valid email
Please enter a valid email
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Please enter your first name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
Please enter your last name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
You must be over 18 years old to register
You must be over 18 years old to register
Opt-out-policy
You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe.

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Join our new commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in