Corning has announced Gorilla Glass 4, which is said to have twice the strength of the previous version and is seen to spur innovation in the coming years.

Just before launch, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were expected to display a sapphire screen. Sapphire, being the second only to diamond in terms of hardness, is deemed to have a significant advantage against scratches. However, sapphire failed to avoid damages when dropped, a problem significant enough that it was discarded and the prospective supplier ended up in bankruptcy. While sapphire is still used by Apple for camera lens covers, and may be used on the Apple Watch, what could be the next big thing for screens?

Corning, the creator of Gorilla Glass, is promoting its next-generation product, Gorilla Glass 4. The product line has been used in everything—from smartphones to tablets to TV screens—and it looks as though Corning has come up with an even tougher material. The technology is advertised as having twice the strength of the previous generation, though notably it did not perform better on scratch tests than its predecessors.

Nevertheless, the expectation is that Corning has had its wake-up call with the sapphire technology fiasco. While Gorilla Glass appears to be safely the market leader, the fact that one of its biggest customers was almost ready to replace it should spur innovation in the coming years.