Jan 06, 2014 02:53 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Apple may be seriously contemplating using curved displays for their next iPhone and for their expected iWatch device.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one of Apple's suppliers, Corning, is planning to mass-produce its Gorilla Glass this year. The product will have the supplier's key features such as being scratch- and crack-resistant and will also be curved.

Apple used Corning's Gorilla Glass for the original iPhone and was chosen over the tech company's first idea to use Plexiglas.

Gorilla Glass was originally designed in the 1960s for the cockpit windshields of fighter jets. The ultra-hard glass could very possibly appear on Apple's next devices, as curved displays are currently absent from its lineup of smartphones and tablets.

Scott Forester, Corning's product manager for 3D-Shaped Gorilla Glass, said the company even has a way to make the curved glass efficiently and for a low cost. It will also allow the Gorilla Glass to be bent up to 80 degrees and also to be molded into "dramatic shapes."

"It opens up a whole new way of how you interact with the device," Forester told the WSJ. "This is another building block, another tool in the tool kit that will unlock a new set of designs."

He included the expanded use of glass could replace plastic and metal casings and buttons, allowing for a larger screen, slimmer device and an entirely touchscreen interface. Corning's potential designs for Apple would also pose an interesting competition for LG and Samsung, which have already unveiled devices with curved screens.

In completely rare form, Apple has been playing catch-up with other smartphone makers, something those companies used to do with the iPhone. Not only is Apple late to the curved display party, but also to the wearable device shindig as well. Companies like Sony, Pebble and Apple's greatest rival, Samsung, have developed smart watches.

Apple's iWatch is expected out in 2014, but DigiTimes reported a potential snag in the device's development. Unnamed sources said certain components usually used for the inside of the device are being applied to the external body. The high demand for these components, combined with a demand for quality, is slowing the development process.

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