Shortly after the release of iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently visited the Corning Glass Factory and conducted interviews with multiple media to promote Apple's new generation of mobile phones and plans to expand production in the United States.
In an interview with CNBC host Jim Cramer, Cook showed off the new iPhone 17 Pro design and handed an iPhone Air to the host. He said the new phone is "so thin that it's almost invisible even in front of the camera." Faced with doubts that the thinner body, the battery may be smaller, and the battery life will be shorter, Cook insisted that the iPhone Air's battery life is "very good."
Cook further explained that the iPhone Air achieves 27 hours of battery life by only supporting eSIM and having no physical SIM card slot, leaving more space for the battery and optimizing the battery layout. He also emphasized that while Apple meets the current needs of users, it also strives to "anticipate needs that users are not yet aware of", citing the newly launched Center Stage and real-time translation functions as examples.
Joined by Corning CEO Wendell Weeks for part two of the interview. Cramer mentioned that some people question the high cost of manufacturing in the United States and the inability to compete with foreign countries in terms of quality, while Corning's factories had excellent productivity as early as the Cold War. Weeks revealed that the factory, which produced the first Gorilla Glass for Apple 17 years ago, will now specialize in the production of Apple products, triple its production capacity, and focus on supplying iPhones.
Cook added that from 2026, every iPhone and Apple Watch in the world will use glass produced in this factory. Behind the factory expansion is Apple’s huge investment plan in the U.S. domestic supply chain. Corning is one of the important beneficiaries of Apple’s US$600 billion investment plan over the next four years.