Apple to use Liquidmetal technology in next iPhone

Apple plans to use a Liquidmetal technology, a new alloy, in its ''breakthrough product'', one of its inventors has revealed.

Apple plans to use a Liquidmetal technology, a new alloy, in its ''breakthrough product'', one of its inventors has revealed.

According to The Telegraph, Apple got the license to use Liquidmetal, which is also known as metallic glass, in 2010.

There are rumours that the next iPhone, expected later this year, would use the Liquidmetal technology.

Atakan Peker, one of the inventors of the technology, said: '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.'

Many other manufacturers, including Samsung and Nokia, have used Liquidmetal, but only for smaller components.

Peker said: 'Liquidmetal is super strong, scratch and corrosion resistant, resilient and can be precision cast into complex shapes. The benefits will be in the form of strong and aesthetic structural components, such as casing and frames.'

Since 2010, Apple has an exclusive licence to use the technology in consumer electronics, but so far it has used it only for the iPhone SIM card ejector pin.

He said: 'It''s more likely in the form of a small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.'

Peker said Liquidmetal was not yet perfected and Apple would need to 'spend on the order of 300 million dollars to 500 million dollars to mature the technology before it can be used in large scale.'

His comments suggest that Apple might not be ready to make an iPhone case out of Liquidmetal.