The Korea IT News is reporting that Apple’s next generation iPhone, labelled the iPhone 5, will leave behind the glass based design, and instead be made from a liquid metal alloy of zirconium, titanium, nickel, and copper. The material is called Liquidmetal. Apple was awarded a full patent for the technology back in 2011. At the time it was expected that the Liquidmetal alloy would be used only for internal parts.
From ETNews:
According to industry sources, the next flagship phones of the companies are expected to adopt unprecedented materials for their main bodies, that is, ceramic for the Galaxy S3 and liquid metal for iPhone5, both being thin, light and highly resistant to external impacts. The new phase of the rivalry is because neither one of them can get a decisive edge over the other solely with its OS and AP specifications, features or design … In the meantime, iPhone5 is likely to take liquid metal, an alloy of zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper and so forth having an outer surface smooth like liquid. The new iPhone is expected to make its debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco in June.
Liquidmetal is rumored to be stronger and more damage resistent than the materials currently in the iPhone 4S. From what we hear, a phone made of Liquidmetal would not only be lighter than current iPhone models, but it would also be able to withstand greater impact than previous models of the iPhone. Liquidmetal products are generally scratch resistant. A Liquidmetal iPhone, if the rumors are true, would not only save Apple a ton of money in phone repairs, but it would also eliminate the need for carrying around your phone in a mediocre iPhone case.
There’s only one way to carry an iPhone: Naked, baby.
Image Credit: Gizmodo
