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“Liquidmetal Technologies produces an amorphous metal called Vitreloy, which is primarily composed of zircon,” Fox reports. “Used mainly for sporting equipment so far, the company has also produced components of cell phone cases in the past, said William Johnson, former vice chairman of technology at Liquidmetal Technologies, professor of materials science at Caltech and inventor of Vitreloy. ‘The material is durable, hard, scratch resistant, and can be processed thermo-plastically at relatively low temperature,’ Johnson told TechNewsDaily.”
Fox reports, “Vitreloy ‘tends to be lighter than steel, a bit heavier than titanium. You can produce complex, three dimensional shapes pretty well.’ By replacing the current metal and plastic cases with Vitreloy, Apple can drastically increase the toughness of their products while reducing the weight.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Rumor has it that a UFP chief engineer named Montgomery Scott just sort of appeared one day and gave Liquidmetal the formula in exchange for a plexiglass whale tank.
Love the MDN Take. “Hello computer!”
How is Scotty doing? Was the plexiglass air lifted to a local unidentified location by a helicopter?
Some of the great ideas that get the scientists and engineers inspired started as Science Fiction. Does Apple sponsor movie nights for the research and development team?
Aye Captain.
Vitreloy is naquadah.
Chief engineer Montgomery Scott was also noted to say that the keyboard and mouse input devices were “quaint”!
Loved the Star Trek reference!
May Apple Live Long and Prosper.
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Scotty called “transparent aluminum” as I recall.
Am I the only one that thought of the liquid metal guy in Terminator 2? Hello! SkyNet here we come!
Awesome. This just made my day.
LL&P
@ GriffinFX – The new NC data center is SkyNet.
NOT invented by Klingons…Ka Plack!
A whale tank? Having a party for Ballmer?
I would imagine it’ll take Apple a year or two to actually sell products made out of this material, but I’m definitely looking forward to it. Sounds like a good deal all around.
Perfect take, MDN.
@ zubonhebi
LOL. Ballmer would definitely qualify as a whale. His IQ is much lower than the average whale though.
Maybe they can use it on the nuclear wessels.
“We are looking for a nuclear wessel in AlaMEEDA…”
Microsoft loves steals ideas from steampunk.
Steve Ballmer fantasizes that he’s James West… especially in those tight, tight pants.
@ MDN
yes, that was Transparent Aluminum he designed using a Mac! Scotty, “Keyboard… How quaint!”
I’m still snickering at the Star Trek reference.
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I love it.
MDN-great take on the situation!
Whoever you are, MDN, I’d probably enjoy following you around for a day or so. I’d probably be giggling all day.
So does this mean I can get my tweezers zircon-encrusted?
Well before Captain Kirk is born, I bet this stuff will be a major component in planes and (earth bound) ships. I wonder what the radar signatures will be.
I am such a nerd because I knew exact what MDN meant with that quote!!! GOOD REMARK!!!! LMAO!!!
And if I remember correctly, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott was trying to talk to a Macintosh SE model!