What is it? Gorilla Glass, a super-strong, lightweight 21st-century glass made by Pyrex manufacturer Corning. Now the company is preparing to unveil a brand new version of the material, Gorilla Glass 2, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
"Handset and tablet device manufacturers are clearly driving toward higher functionality from thinner designs," says Corning Specialty Materials General Manager James Steiner in a statement. "Corning’s latest innovation in Gorilla Glass technology is very well positioned to meet these challenges and enable broader touch technology penetration.”
The company is staying tight-lipped about exactly how much lighter or stronger the new glass is; we'll find out more at CES 2012 starting on Monday. But chances are you'll have to work a lot harder to shatter a smartphone screen made with Gorilla Glass 2.
Gorilla Glass 2 isn't just for small devices. The company is bringing an impressive 82-inch touchscreen to the show, along with a Gorilla Glass-covered video wall, flanked by Gorilla Glass-fabricated speakers.
The lightweight glass technology was long-rumored to be used in the iPhone. This was confirmed last year in Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, which features the Apple CEO paying a visit to Corning's factory -- and brokering a deal to get the as-yet-untested glass into the first iPhone within six months.