Three year wait for flexible phones, says Willow maker Corning

Corning, the company that makes the super-tough Gorilla Glass that is present in many smartphones and tablet devices, believe that it will be at least three years until mobile phone makers will start taking advantage of flexible screen technology.

Though Corning’s Gorilla Glass is already present in dominant smartphones such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S3, the company have been investing heavily themselves in flexible glass technology, producing the impressive bendy Willow glass that could lead to smartphones that could be rolled up like a piece of paper.

However, according to Corning president James Clappin, the consumer world just isn’t ready for rollable electronic devices yet.

“People are not accustomed to glass you roll up, ” he told Bloomberg.

“The ability of people to take it and use it to make a product is limited.”

While Corning are said to be making “a lot of effort” to educate “very big name” companies (Apple and Samsung, anyone?) on how best to use the technology, Corning will be putting the flexible screen in some less complex systems, such as solar panels.