Unbreakable LiquidMetal rumors return for the iPhone 5S and next iPad

posted by Michael H. / Jul 17, 2013, 11:02 AM

Unbreakable LiquidMetal rumors return for the iPhone 5S and next iPad

If you've followed the Apple rumor mill even peripherally, there are a few rumors that are persistent. We've been hearing for the past two iPhone cycles that there would be NFC in an iPhone. Before Apple added LTE, that rumor held for a couple cycles as well. The rumors of Apple using an unbreakable LiquidMetal casing began with the iPhone 5, but it looks like it may be real for the 5S and the next-gen iPad.

The rumor started with the iPhone 5, but never had much traction, because the technology couldn't really provide anything more than smaller components made of LiquidMetal. This time around, things are looking different. It started with a patent filing that was approved yesterday for "bulk amorphous alloy sheet forming processes". In plain English, it is a process which would allow the manufacture of sheets of metallic glass of variable thickness between 0.1mm and 25mm and in widths of up to three meters, which could be used in "any electronic device known the art".

The patent was granted to Crucible Intellectual Property, which is a shell company formed with the licensing deal between Apple and LiquidMetal Technology. The Boy Genius himself is predicting separately (he never mentions the patent filing in his prediction) that the iPhone 5S will use LiquidMetal, because back in May he handled the SIM card tray of an iPhone 5S, and claims it felt like LiquidMetal.

Of course, the technology to be able to make LiquidMetal components has existed for years, going back to the original Vertu devices in 2004. The question is whether the patent filing shows that the technology has evolved enough to build entire iPhone and iPad cases out of the material. Clearly, the patent shows that Apple and LiquidMetal Technology have a manufacturing method in theory, but unfortunately, patents don't always go beyond the theoretical and into a real world building scenario.

Given that the iPhone 5S is planned to launch in September, it is likely that Apple has already begun the mass production of the devices, since we are in the 2-3 month window before launch when manufacturing would ramp up. But, it is still unclear if this new production method was ready soon enough to scale for the demands of millions of iOS devices that would be hitting the market just a few months from now. It certainly doesn't help the rumor (or BGR's prediction) that aluminum cases were leaked straight from the Foxconn line earlier.

We can certainly believe that some internal components of the next-gen iOS devices will be made with LiquidMetal, because even a small piece will be enough to allow Apple's marketing machine to run with the claims. But, we haven't seen anything yet that would support the idea that the entire casing for the next iPhone or iPad will be made of the material.

source: USPTO via Electronista

reference: BGR

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25 Comments

1. sprockkets

Posts: 1612; Member since: Jan 16, 2012

Wow, apple's first real patent...oh wait it isn't really apple never mind haha.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:06 AM 3

2. Android-Boxer

Posts: 13; Member since: Aug 15, 2012

Beginning of another war :D

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:12 AM 1

9. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

And their products will be even more expensive.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:40 AM 1

3. TROLL

Posts: 4851; Member since: Apr 13, 2012

The S5 should equipe with this. With Exynos 5450 at 3.0Ghz along with side air vents to cool down the Cpu Gpu Pvrsgx554 at 700Mhz ©

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:16 AM 0

6. CanYouSeeTheLight

Posts: 1122; Member since: Jul 05, 2012

WOW Troll, you are so wise, i think Samsung or Apple should hire you to help them with their phones! /s

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:29 AM 9

11. No_Nonsense unregistered

All he wants are specs on devices. real world performance = specs for him, never mind it doesn't work that way really.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:49 AM 2

13. apple4never

Posts: 1064; Member since: May 08, 2013

might aswell put in an intel i7 5770k at 12ghz 112gb ram 12tb of hard drive and a 7790 by 6280 screen with a 100mp camera no ?

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:05 PM 8

15. apple4never

oh ya and a 1,000,000 mah battery for all that power

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:35 PM 5

17. Bilpocalypse

Posts: 301; Member since: Oct 13, 2012

Nope. A 12TB ssd.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 1:32 PM 1

18. apple4never

why not add all of googles servers as a syncing mainframe and ontop of that a free ferrari so you can make use of the bluetooth 50.0 on both of them lol

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 1:57 PM 2

21. roldefol

Posts: 4744; Member since: Jan 28, 2011

He left out the most important part, the 24 MP Exmoor™ (which I can only assume is a north African who has renounced his heritage) RS sensor with Carl Zeiss lens.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 3:08 PM 1

4. Izoe

Posts: 149; Member since: Sep 02, 2010

unbreakable housing + breakable screen, no sense at all especially when its the display and not the housing that the inevitable bumper case purchase will protect. Plus bet it still gets scratched and dented when you drop it, so whats the point. Just sales hype and another reason keep the price where it is, Sky high.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:23 AM 3

7. Izoe

sorry meant its the housing and not the display the bumper will protect

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:29 AM 0

20. ianbbaa

Posts: 332; Member since: Mar 20, 2013

it wont break even when you hit darkkjeddis head with it...for sure

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 2:13 PM 0

5. ahmed_ali_yossef2010

Posts: 164; Member since: Jul 26, 2012

the same rumors as every year screen bump to 4.3 and liquid metal

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:23 AM 1

8. DontHateOnS60

Posts: 872; Member since: Apr 20, 2009

Too bad the glass display still isn't. No matter how strong the outer display is, it all comes down to physics in the end. All that energy from the fall and the impact has to be transferred somewhere...

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:37 AM 0

14. apple4never

hmm maybe a phone case, (actual one with phone not like an otterbox) that transfers the kinetic energy into the floor or surface it gets dropped onto through like a an extremely conductive metal, or have a liquid metal case that has enough give so that once it drops the metal morphs so it like splats on the ground so it dosent break would be cool

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 12:08 PM 1

22. belovedson

Posts: 1061; Member since: Nov 30, 2010

how about simply teaching people how not to drop the a phone. it would be apple's next step in keeping their precious phones in tact. it's not our fault the phone breaks its you. stop dropping the a phone. it's perfect

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 5:48 PM 0

10. InspectorGadget80 unregistered

Another patent another law suit.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:40 AM 0

12. AppleConspiracy

Posts: 637; Member since: Oct 18, 2011

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Next-iPhone-concept-render-hints-what-Apple-could-do-with-that-extra-screen-space-in-a-new-design_id30530#8- This concept of ours incorporated rumors of LiquidMetal back in 2012, and now they are alive again, despite being told that it was pretty impossible in this timeframe. I doubt they could implement it so soon. Only in minor parts, like SIM tray in some limited iPhone 3GS models.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 11:58 AM 1

16. xpr3ss10n

Posts: 58; Member since: Dec 15, 2011

Has anyone broken the metal on their phone recently? ....me niether

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 1:13 PM 0

19. apple4never

the metal buckles so this will reduce that, metal dosent break like glass

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 1:59 PM 0

23. dirtydirty00

Posts: 428; Member since: Jan 21, 2011

umm.... im pretty sure they should be working more on making their screens break less. not the already just about unbreakable metal they already use.

posted on Jul 17, 2013, 8:50 PM 1

25. amilcarmz86

Posts: 95; Member since: Jul 09, 2013

well my friend you said the real truth, is not the body that the users complain about, is the screen... if you drop an iphone you better get money to buy another glass..