The Christian Science Monitor loves primates. On the heels of the flying squirrel discovery, they’re analyzing the economic ramifications of “gorilla glass”:
Two to three times stronger than other glass and resistant to dents and scratches, it’s beginning to find its way onto screens for smartphones, tablet computers, and soon flat-screen high-definition TVs. Sales are expected to nearly quadruple from last year. Its inventor, New York-based Corning, expects sales to quadruple again next year into a $1 billion business as the flat-screen TV business takes off.
But don’t expect a huge surge of American jobs as a result. Although production will be expanding in the United States, the big market potential lies with TVs, which are all made in Asia. That’s why Corning is planning to locate there to remain price competitive.
At the moment, all Gorilla glass is produced in Corning’s Harrodsburg, Ky., plant.
Apparently, they want to make an unbreakable flat-screen TV. In Japan.