Tim Cook stated that sapphire crystal will be used for a secret Apple project.

A major meeting was recently held with all Apple shareholders. The attendees were in for a big surprise when they were asked questions about the company's manufacturing plans for the next iPhone.

During a Q&A session with Apple shareholders, CEO Tim Cook mentioned that the company has a major " Secret Project ," a project directly related to sapphire production. He added that, as is customary for the company, Apple will never reveal its future plans prematurely . He reiterated that secrecy is important because Apple is being swindled from all sides by its competitors.

And in response to questions about the manufacturing of sapphire crystal in the U.S. , Tim Cook noted that a recently opened supplier plant in Arizona was acquired to produce sapphire exclusively for the company.

However, when asked about the possibility that this sapphire crystal could be used to produce scratch-resistant screens in a future iPhone, Cook reiterated that the company is working on a "secret project" and declined to comment further.

Let's wait and see what clues the company gives us next. But we believe we're getting closer to the new products coming in 2014.