With Apple utilizing a new laser cut sapphire crystal in its redesigned home button that now includes a capacitive fingerprint touch sensor on the iPhone 5s, it’s not that surprising that rumors of a sapphire home button on future iPads are starting to pop up. We’re certainly not taking this one as fact, as it comes to us from the not-so-reliable DigiTimes, but a new report from the publication says new models of Apple’s full-sized iPad and iPad mini will also utilize the hard sapphire crystal material. The rumor apparently comes from “Taiwan-based sapphire makers.”
The report adds that Apple could also be looking to utilize the material for entire touch screen covers for new iPhones coming in 2014, but that price could be a factor, as sapphire crystal is reportedly still around 5 times more expensive than alternative materials.
In it’s latest promotional video for the new iPhone 5s home button and TouchID feature (below), Apple says the Sapphire crystal button protects the the new touch sensor and also “acts as a lens to precisely focus it on your finger.”
