Makers of handheld devices to make popular Curved cover glass.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Curved cover glass may be the next big thing in terms of handheld device designs as both Apple and the non-Apple camp are reportedly gearing up for the releases of products with curved touchscreens in the first half 2012, according to industry sources.

Suppliers of the non-Apple camp are working on products with curved cover glass in attempts to gain a competitive edge in the handheld device market dominated by Apple, sources in the glass industry said.

But Apple reportedly also has bought glass polishing equipment for its suppliers in preparation for the production of devices fitted with curved cover glass. Lens Technology, Fuji Crystal, G-Tech are said to be major cover glass suppliers of Apple. While Lens and Fuji focus on iPhones, G-Tech supplies mainly for iPad.

Corning demonstrated curved applications of its Gorilla glass at Taiwan's Computex 2011.

Changes in the upstream cover glass production may also result in changes in the touch panel sector, the sources said. Suppliers of thin film touch or one glass solutions (OGS) which integrate touch sensors into the cover glass are most likely to benefit.

However, the sources pointed out that curved cover glass may be a short-lived fashion, and it remains to be seen whether major handheld device suppliers are willing to keep releasing new models featuring curved cover glass.