Apple has recently sent out e-mail invitations to reporters and others to attend it’s “Spring Forward” media event, which is scheduled to take place on March 9, 2015 Pacific Time, according to a caijing.com report.

After Apple abandoned using sapphire protective glass covers in the iPhone 6 last year, sapphire substrates have been viewed as the equivalent to market speculation in the investment market. Following GT Advanced Technology’s (GTAT) bankruptcy filing in early October 2014, the idea of applying sapphire material in consumer electronics has become ridiculed on the mainstream market.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) used “bait-and-switch” tactics in negotiating a contract with sapphire-maker GT Advanced Technologies Inc. (GTATQ), guaranteeing itself “heads I win, tails you lose” terms, a GT executive said in an unsealed court document.

Benefiting from Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales, Taiwanese sapphire manufacturer Tera Xtal’s revenue for September 2014 increased 38 percent compared to August. The company set a new monthly record last month, with order visibility extending well into late 2014.

It has been reported that Apple has been granted new three new sapphire glass related patents from the U.S. Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 8, 2014. Discovered by AppleInsider, the three new patents cover a method to strengthen weak areas in sapphire display covers, application of sapphire to illuminate buttons, and embedded product details under a sapphire layer. 

Strong LED market demands this year have led to patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) manufacturers expanded production capacity, according to “2014 Global Sapphire Substrate Market Report” by LEDinside, a LED research division of TrendForce. The 4-inch PSS market current supply shortage situation was mostly caused by Taiwanese and Chinese LED chip manufacturers introduction of large volume PSS into products, and manufacturers shift towards 4-inch PSS production. However, since manufacturers are expected to expand PSS production by the end of the year, tightened market supply conditions are expected to ease. 

Sapphire substrate related manufacturers are unable to meet increasing demands as the LED lighting industry enters peak season and Apple prepares to launch the new iPhone 6. Prices for upstream ingot and downstream substrate increased in 3Q14, with ingot prices up 5-10 percent. Rise in price has driven up business performance for sapphire substrate related manufacturers.

GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) is reportedly using the US $578 million received in prepayment from Apple to expand sapphire production through establishing an additional facility. This new facility will produce roughly 20 million sapphire displays per year on top of the 200 million estimated from earlier reports, said Analyst Matt Margolis via BGR. 

San’an Opto announced recently subsidiary Fujian Jingan Optoelectronics RMB 11.58 million (US$ 1.86 million) subsidy application was approved by Anxi County Bureau of Finance in China. The subsidiary has received the full sum of the subsidy.

LED demand in China has seen a significant increase, driving up sapphire substrate demand for five consecutive months, according to financial firm UBS. 

Speculations about the iWatch have been floating around the internet, with every analyst giving their take of what technology they think Apple will use. After reading through hundreds of articles posted by U.S. media discussing new Apple patents and technology acquisitions, Tencent has compiled a list of the top five plausible technology and materials that might be seen in the iWatch.

Chinese investors have recently approached Crystal Optotech to verify whether the company is currently producing sapphire panels for Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi. Crystal Optotech responded it has yet to produce sapphire for mobile phone application. 

Increased demands from the LED and backlight application market have spurred sapphire manufacturers to expand sapphire ingot, sapphire wafer, and PSS production, according to the recent 2014 Global Sapphire Substrate Market Report from LEDinside, a division of research organization Trendforce. 

Apple’s recent interest in sapphire substrate has got the industry talking as to what future Apple product will use the material. Long since used in LED lighting applications and handheld devices, sapphire substrate will soon be the spotlight in the industry once Apple’s Arizona factory is up and running. 

GT Advanced Technologies’ (GT) Arizona sapphire substrate facility reportedly began small scale sapphire production last month. Stephen Chin, analyst of UBS, revealed that the facility has also already begun shipping material to a Chinese supplier. 

Storm clouds are clearing for Taiwanese sapphire manufactures as sapphire substrate industry supply and demand returns to norm after years of financial loss. The rebounding industry has brought back investor confidence, which has spurred a wave of Taiwanese manufacturers to finance market strategies to acquire technological, capital, production capacity, and market share advantages.

Apple’s new iPhone 6 is anticipated to hit the market in 3Q14, according to the United Evening News. The new model will have a larger screen than past iPhones at 5.5 inches. It has been rumored that the iPhone 6 will be priced at US$100 higher, due to the larger screen size and change in specs.

LED lighting demands are booming this year, according to a report in the Economic Daily News. Sapphire substrate manufacturers saw good operational performance in 1Q14, and remain optimistic as the industry moves into 2Q14. 

The sapphire substrate industry is booming on growing non-LED application demands. Tooted as having the potential to eliminate cracks and scratches, many electronic device manufacturers have been shifting their focus from glass to sapphire substrate over the past few years. A player looking into the sapphire substrate market has recently emerged.

The joint facility owned by Apple and GT Advanced Technologies in Mesa, Arizona is expanding, said Apple Insider. The number of buildings and facilities on the 83-acre plot of land is growing, perhaps to accommodate higher yields for products yet to be announced. 

Sapphire substrate price uptick has built up momentum for a while, according to a recent Commercial Times report. Sapphire substrate manufacturer’s price quotes for 2Q13 were up 3 percent, but LED die manufacturers have not accepted the price increase demands so price continues to fluctuate, said FOREPI Chairman Chien Fen-ren. 

Oji Holdings Corporation has established the fabrication technology of patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) for LEDs which improves the performance of front luminance of LEDs by more than double compared to that of LEDs with non-structured sapphire substrate, by applying the technique of precise coating with fine particles.

Four major phenomena occurred simultaneously in the sapphire market leading to global supply shortage for patterned sapphire substrate (PSS), according to Chinese-language Economic Daily News.

The emergence of new sapphire substrate applications has brought many opportunities for the Taiwanese sapphire industry, according to the Commercial Times. Supply not meeting demand is becoming increasingly apparent. Patterened sapphire substrate (PSS) manufacturer Ridgetech Mircoelectronics has taken the top position for profit. Legal persons estimate that the company’s EPS last year reached more than  NT $5 (US $0.16). The doubling of production capacity this year has been driving up stock prices early. Emerging stocks increased 7.62 percent last Thursday with closing price at NT $150, making Ridgetech take the top spot in profit, stock price, and production capacity.

Wearable devices have stolen the show at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, according to Chinese-language United Evening News. Companies including Samsung, LG, Sony, and Huawei Device have all showcased their wearable designs at the show. Increasing investment from manufacturers is leading to a rise in sapphire material applications. Sapphire material prices began to rise at an average of 5-7% during 1Q14, which stimulated listed company Crystalwise Technology and ACME Electronics Corp. rising stock prices on Feb. 25, 2014. This in turn led to LED stocks strong growth.

GAAP Results ($M except per share data)             Q4 ‘13         Q4 ‘13         Revenues     $106.8    ...

Rubicon Technology, a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, semiconductor, and optical industries, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2013.

Swiss industrial design website Designerei GmbH has recently released a new concept design for the upcoming Apple iWatch. Although this is not the official Apple design, it can still be used to analyze possible developmental directions for the new technology used in the smart watch.

Lighting orders for LED chip manufacturers are pouring in due to capacity competitions in the LED lighting and optic application markets. Sapphire substrate application has expanded from smartphones to iWatch. International sapphire manufacturers anticipate ingot prices to increase in February, which will allow performance in 1Q14 to be better than last quarter for sapphire material manufacturers.

Amtech Systems, Inc. a global supplier of production and automation systems and related supplies for the manufacture of solar cells, semiconductors, and sapphire and silicon wafers, reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.