No Liquidmetal alloy for back casing of next iPhone

A couple of weeks ago the Internet was abuzz with news surrounding the upcoming flagship phone from Apple. News had it that the upcoming handset would feature a breakthrough material called Liquidmetal. The advantages of this new alloy would be that it would make the smartphone to be sturdier, thinner and lighter. The alloy comprises zirconium, titanium, nickel and copper making the surface feel smooth, like liquid. However, in an interview with Business Insider, one of the inventors of this breakthrough alloy, Dr. Atakan Peker, stated that it is unlikely Apple will use this metal for their next iPhone.

Apple may use Liquidmetal in two to four years

In the interview, when asked regarding the rumours surrounding the future Apple MacBooks using Liquidmetal, Dr. Peker said, “Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it's unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It's more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.” In all possibility, the brand will not feature this metal on their next iPhone, too as it appears to be too early to manufacture the whole back panel. The report mentions that Apple has only used this metal in small proportions, which is when they used it for the ejector pin on the iPhone 3G.

In a related questions posed to the inventor regarding the use of this metal on Apple products, the author states, “I expect Liquidmetal application in two ways: First evolutionary substitution of current materials and secondly, and more importantly, in a breakthrough product made only possible by Liquidmetal technology. Apple’s exclusively licensing a new material technology (specifically for casing and enclosures) is a first in the industry. This is very exciting. Therefore, I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product. Such product will likely bring an innovative user interface and industrial design together, and will also be very difficult to copy or duplicate with other material technologies.”

Over the last couple of months there have been a lot of rumours surrounding the upcoming iPhone and the list of them includes a slimmer form factor, larger screen and LTE capabilities.