Next Generation iPhone Unlikely to be Made of Liquidmetal

There have been some speculations lately that the next generation iPhone will be made of Liquidmetal alloys.

Few weeks back, a Korean website claimed that the next generation iPhone will be made of Liquidmetal quoting industry sources. The rumor inspired a French designer to make a stunning mockup of the next iPhone with Liquidmetal casing.

However, that rumors should now be taken with a grain of salt. While highlighting the benefits of Liquidmetal alloy, Atakan Peker, one of the inventors of the Liquidmetal alloy, in an interview with Business Insider has said that Apple is unlikely use the metal as a major component in iPhone or MacBooks for at least two to four years.

Instead, Liquidmetal is more likely to be used in small components like iPhone's SIM removal tool.

BI: Can you explain, in simple terms, the benefits of Liquidmetal in gadgets like phones, tablets, and laptops?

AP: Liquidmetal is super strong, scratch and corrosion resistant, resilient and can be precision cast into complex shapes. The benefits will be in the f

BI: I've heard rumors that future MacBooks from Apple could use Liquidmetal casing, what would that be like? Is it likely to happen?

AP: 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.

While Peker doesn't directly have insight on Apple's plans for the Liquidmetal alloy, he expects the Cupertino-based company to make a major impact by using it further down the road in a breakthrough product.

Apple will undoubtedly take advantage of the alloy's unique properties. Often referred to as "bulk metallic glass", Liquidmetal has an atomic structure that makes it glass-like while also being extremely tough, flexible, and resistant to corrosion and scratching.

Apple acquired exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal Technologies' "amorphous metal alloys" to bring their proprietary IP to Apple's consumer electronics products back in 2010. Thus far, though, Apple has used the metal only in iPhone 3G SIM removal tool.