Similar/realted (from what I can tell) stories:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/10/shattered_apples_jil... (interesting info on Sniper weapons pod use of sapphire in comments).
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/11/19/gt-advanced-sapphire-fai... (references the WSJ article)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/19/us-gtadvanced-bank...
For those too lazy to do a google search on the article, this link should get you there: http://www.google.co.jp/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&...
I assume this article is Apple telling their version of what happened. Honestly, though, it's kinda what I expected—GT agreed to produce iPhone screens for Apple, which they were unable to do effectively enough.
Typically, news sites with a paywall (e.g. WSJ) will give you access if the referrer is from Google. I simply google the headline and follow the link back to the story and am granted access.
Always works for me.
Content behind pay-walls should not be allowed for submission on HackerNews.
Got a non-paywall link?
non-paywall link: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal...
This is really incredible. To summarize for people who don't have access:
1) GT was a solar furnace maker that first offered to sell Apple 2300 furnaces so that Apple could produce sapphire screens for the iPhone 6.
2) Then Apple decided to lend GT $500 million and have GT own the furnaces and produce the sapphire (although it had no experience in producing high quality, production volume sapphire) for Apple.
3) GT became a captive supplier to Apple and had exclusivity arrangements - so it couldn't diversify its business.
4) GT hit production problems with almost 50 percent of the boules of sapphire being cracked and unusable.
5) GT had operational issues, where people were paid to just sweep the floor over and over.
6) GT eventually filed for Chapter 11 - surprising Apple.
7) The iphone 6 didn't have sapphire screens.