"Apple's Cost-Cutting Strategy: Tracking Display Failures with Tiny QR Codes"
Originally Published 2 years ago — by MacRumors
Apple is using tiny QR codes etched onto iPhone displays to track the number of defective screens and reduce manufacturing costs. The QR codes, one the size of a grain of sand and another on the inside of the display, allow Apple to precisely count every piece of glass produced and measure the amount wasted due to defects. By implementing the barcodes, Apple has been able to reduce the number of discarded cover glass pieces from three out of 10 to one out of 10, saving the company hundreds of millions of dollars.