“Apple has been granted its first patent related to Liquidmetal, a space-age metal alloy,” Leander Kahney reports for Cult of Mac. “But the patent isn’t for a new iPad enclosure or iPhone antenna, as experts have predicted. Instead Apple’s Liquidmetal patent is for an internal component of a fuel cell.”
“Apple’s new patent describes ‘amorphous alloy’ collector plates for fuel cells, an electrochemical battery that uses hydrogen to generate electricity,” Kahney reports. “Although the patent doesn’t reference the Liquidmetal trademark, the material is an amorphous alloy or ‘metallic glass.'”
Kahney reports, “Of course, the ever-secretive company hasn’t hinted at its plans for the material. The possibilites are endless. Liquidmetal is a super lightweight, high-strength, scratch-proof metal that NASA says is ‘poised to redefine materials science as we know it in the 21st century.'”
There’s much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Could it be that Apple’s innovation engine is just beginning to rev up? Such a suggestion should cause Apple’s so-called competitors to immediately stroke out.
fuel cell? enough portable power to keep a laptop going for several weeks/months without re-charging. now that would be a story!
Apple is just beyond anybody…
Nobody in the energy business is serious enough to produce battery/electric technology to fuel our gears since oil business is way too big. Oil is their comfort zone. At last a company that is very serious in battery technology – apple – is going to get it right. This is going to be big.
You know, people have been saying for a long time that Apple should build a car. Maybe that’s what the fuel cells could be used for. Just dreamin’
Although the patent doesn’t reference the Liquidmetal trademark, the material is an amorphous alloy or “ metallic glass.”
Ach, transparent aluminum!
Where do I find a copy of this patent? It does not show up on USPTO web site.
This “news” may be what is driving the AAPL market up right now. AAPL is at a new high og $333.01 and more to come.
@BurningZeppelin,
I know – my MacBook Pro needs a fill up with Premium almost weekly.
Apple has positioned itself to control the use of liquid metal in consumer electronics, and is clearly doing R&D – which could be huge for us stock holders…
Um, isn’t “space-aged” from 1957 or so? Why, 50+ years later, is “space-aged” used to to mean “cutting edge?”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Age