These are very interesting times for Corning (GLW 8.90%) and other smartphone and tablet glass suppliers.
While Corning has been the dominant player in recent years with its amazing Gorilla Glass technology keeping scratches and broken screens to a minimum, sapphire glass from GT Advanced Technologies (NASDAQ: GTAT) could emerge as a serious threat. GTAT's deal with Apple (AAPL +1.16%) has thus far seen the more-expensive sapphire screens covering only the iPhone's camera and Touch ID fingerprint sensor, but recent developments indicate the possibility of the entire front glass of future iPhone models made of sapphire.
But Corning has been a great innovator, improving Gorilla Glass constantly over the years. This year the company announced three improvements at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas: 1) Stronger and thinner Gorilla Glass, 2) NBT technology for touch-enabled notebooks, and 3) Anti-microbial glass that could be huge as touch-enabled devices proliferate.
Our roving reporter Rex Moore attended CES, and in this third of three videos he chats with Corning's Craig Wurzel about the health benefits of antimicrobial properties in glass, as well as the growth prospects of this new technology.
