Less than a month from its expected iPhone launch event, Apple is considering using sapphire screens in the more expensive models of its upcoming iPhone and iWatch, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report notes that the first sapphire displays for those devices are “expected to roll off production lines this month.” It’s also reported that the company will use sapphire in more expensive models of the two new iPhones, “if it can get enough of the material.” The report suggests that sapphire-equipped iPhones would likely carry a higher price tag than the lower-end versions of the same models.
Although the report isn’t entirely implausible, rumors of material differentiations in Apple devices have rarely proved accurate in the past, though the company has sometimes restricted base models to one or fewer colors than higher-end models, and one iPod—the third-generation iPod shuffle—was briefly offered in a premium stainless steel version alongside aluminum models. With the new iPhone launch seemingly so close, last-minute changes to major components would be somewhat hard to swallow, unless production is running significantly behind schedule.