Cook talks iPhone Air battery, glass investment in Corning visit

Apple CEO Tim Cook used a visit to a Corning plant to promote the new iPhone range, and to discuss Apple’s investment to increase glass production for the iPhone in the United States.

It is mere days after the introduction of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is continuing to promote it through media appearances and interviews. In a pair of interview clips released on Friday, he took the opportunity to be interviewed while at a Corning glass factory in Harroldsburg, KY.

The first, speaking to Jim Cramer on CNBC was more directly iPhone-specific in tone. After showing the new iPhone 17 Pro’s design, he also provided the host with the iPhone Air, which he said is “so thin it may not show up on the camera.”

When it’s pointed out that the thinner iPhone Air body would mean a smaller battery and therefore shorter battery life, Cook insists the battery life “is great.”

Explaining how Apple pulled off the 27-hour battery life, Cook refers to the eSIM-only nature and that Apple worked to “extend the battery to areas that previously had the physical cell.”

On consumer demand, Cook says Apple listens “carefully” to desires but it also tries to “also sort of look around the corner and give then something they don’t know they want.” The CEO offered the new Center Stage and Live Translation features as examples.

A second clip brought Corning CEO Wendell Weeks into the conversation as it moved to manufacturing. The host pointed to the perception of the US being too expensive to produce products and not of high enough quality, before talking about the plant’s production during the Cold War.

It was also the factory that made the first Gorilla Glass for Apple 17 years ago. Now, Weeks explains, the factory will be completely dedicated to Apple, tripling production and aimed just at iPhones.

Cook chimes in, stating that from 2026, every iPhone and Apple Watch sold in the world will contain glass from the factory.

The factory expansion is one that is almost certainly to have stemmed from Apple’s investments into its supply chain. Corning was identified as one of the big companies that will benefit from Apple’s U.S. investment program, which will see Apple spend $600 billion over four years.