Interesting article from Seeking Alpha (free reg-wall) on Apple’s strategic investment in GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT), a company that develops high-grade sapphire. Lots of financial info and comparisons with Liquidmetal Technologies, but this is the part that caught my eye:

The big knock on the use of sapphire in things like mass-market consumer electronics devices has always been cost. With Corning’s (GLW) Gorilla Glass controlling most of the smartphone display market, the volumes have enabled the company to drive-down costs to a level that has created significant barriers-to-entry. With this new arrangement, all signals point to Apple wanting to use sapphire…and a lot of it. Such volume could prove to be the catalyst needed to further get the material down the cost curve and into new mass-market devices.

Barrier to entry is a huge business advantage. Anything you can do to prevent other companies from doing knockoffs is a win. A great strategic relationship for Apple. Interesting analysis.