Not so long ago, Apple introduced iPhone 5 in the market, leaving techie people in complete chaos. There was a time when long line of people were seen waiting outside of mobile stores and telecommunications outlets just to get hold of the infamous and much-awaited iPhone 5.
Here goes Apple again, thrilling people with their upcoming release of iPhone 5S. But what makes this different from the other iPhones? Aside from the operating system, panoramic camera, and megapixel, there were rumors that it will have a LiquidMetal case.
The rumor began with the iPhone 5, but didn’t have much grip, because the technology couldn't really offer anything more than tiny components made of LiquidMetal. Things are looking different this time around. Everything started with a patent filing that was agreed yesterday for "bulk amorphous alloy sheet forming processes". It is a procedure which would permit the manufacture of sheets of metallic glass of erratic thickness between 0.1mm and 25mm and widths of up to three meters, which could be used in "any electronic device known the art". This would make the iPhone 5S unbreakable up to a certain impact.
The exclusive rights were awarded to Crucible Intellectual Property, a shell company established by the licensing contract between Apple and LiquidMetal Technology. The Boy Genius himself is expecting discretely that the iPhone 5S will use LiquidMetal, because a year ago he held the SIM card tray of an iPhone 5S, and claimed it felt like LiquidMetal.
The technology to be able to create LiquidMetal gears has existed for years. In fact, way back to the original Vertu gadgets in 2004. The problem is, “Can the patent filings prove that the technology has evolved sufficiently to construct the whole iPhone and iPad cases out of the substance?” Apparently, the patent showcases that Apple and LiquidMetal Technology have in their minds manufacturing method, but unfortunately, patents don't always go further than the hypothetical and into a real world building scenario.
We can absolutely believe that some interior components of the next generation iOS devices will be made out of LiquidMetal, because even a tiny piece will be sufficient to allow Apple's marketing gadget to work with the claims. But, we have seen nothing that would sustain the idea that the whole casing for the next iPhone or iPad will be created of the material yet.