No sapphire? Huawei has got you covered

Apple Inc may have disappointed many consumers by not putting sapphire glass covers on its new iPhone, but the scratch-resistant material is gradually making its way into mobile devices despite manufacturing challenges and high costs.

Speculation ran high in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's unveiling of the iPhone 6 that some models would have the extra protection after Apple arranged a partnership in November with United States-based GT Advanced Technologies Inc, a mineral crystal specialist, to make sapphire materials for its devices.

Apple said sapphire glass would be used on its first smartwatch. It also continues to use the durable material to cover the iPhone's camera lens and home button, but it gave no hints as to if, or when, the glass would be used on iPhone screens.