According to a report from etnews.com, citing “industry sources,” Apple will shift from glass to Liquidmetal® for the main body of their next-gen iPhone.
Kim In-soon reports, “iPhone5 is likely to take liquid metal, an alloy of zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper and so forth having an outer surface smooth like liquid. The new iPhone is expected to make its debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco in June.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Attribution: Patently Apple. Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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Glad I skipped the 4S. Really glad!
Why? I bought the 4, the 4S, and I’ll probably buy this one as well.
Exactly. All of the above.
+1
1
I buy every iPhone new. My wife gets my hand me down and then so on to my M-I-L and neices.
Still going to be out in the fall, most likely.
Apple has be releasing the iPods in the fall. The iPhone is an iPod, so that is when it should come out. Keeps the money bump for Christmas.
I use Siri multiple times a day for texting, weather, looking up phone contacts, and directions. It’s a godsend…
Haven’t people figured out that you can sell your year old iPhone for more than the cost of a new one because of the carrier subsidy? I’ve been selling my year old phones since the very start and “making” $50-$150 bucks per time on the transition to the new iPhone.
Uh, Liquidmetal may be used for the outer case, but will not replace Gorilla glass as the screen.
Will replace the back Monkey glass.
No, really, ya think?
Gregg, you got it. The author says “Apple will shift from glass to Liquidmetal® for the main body of their next-gen.”
For the main body??? The core is currently machined Aluminum.. And that could possibly replaced by liquid metal, being molded to the specific shape. Then Gorilla glass on front and possibly back. It might be nice to see a “bumper” of metal around the glass to prevent shattering.
Just an idea.
“…having an outer surface smooth like liquid”
that was a good laugh.
Agree; this was laughable nonsense; the alloy called “liquid” for totally different reasons.
Also, this allow will be used not instead of glass, but rather instead of steel to make much lighter frame. (Glass is radio transparent, while metal is obviously not.)
However, even this is hard task to do since the alloy is quite pricy; lets see.
Well, Apple has been placing the antennas on the exterior in case. I think the glass back was a style thing, not a radio engineering thing. They may continue this.
The antennas are part of the core metal. That is why its segregated into parts. Different antennas.
According to Isaacson’s book, Jobs wanted iPhone 4 to have metal back since the antenna has outer design. However, this decision would screen too much signal anyway, so they had to use glass instead.
In iPhone 4S they moved Wi-Fi antenna again inside of the phone’s body, so metal back became even less possible.
& scrolls like butter!
And it’s Snappy!
Sounds like Apple wants to go back in the way similar to the original iPhone for iPhone 6 (or likely “the new iPhone”). This time, no plastic please, and thank you 🙂
Yes, the iPhone 6, because on your planet 6 obviously follows after 3 and 4, skipping 5 for superstitious reasons.
What is it with you people who have this obsession with Apple going iPhone/iPhone 3G/iPhone 3Gs/iPhone 4/iPhone 4S/iPhone 6?
Explain to the rest of the class why they would go from 4S to 6 and ignore 5.
I really want to see what cockeyed explanation you come up with.
maybe cause the current iPhone 4S, is the 5th gen iPhone…
Hey we never had an iPhone 2!!!!! That’s what apple should call it!
“the new iPhone 2”
Has a great ring to it.
1 – original
2 – 3G
3 – 3Gs
4 – 4
5 – 4s
6 – next one coming
Or… to put it another way:
1st – iPhone
2nd – iPhone 3G
3rd – iPhone 3Gs
4th – iPhone 4
5th – iPhone 4S
6th – iPhone…???
They never called it the iPhone 3rd, did they? Since none of the names match the ordinal position, there is no relevance, whatsoever.
MDN, please post this comment and the one above it as an article. Thanks.
The iPhone. Just the iPhone. (current generation)
Yep. This. Say goodbye to hardware ‘version’ numbers, kids! Apple likes to keep things simple (yet confusing). 🙂
Yes a metal screen can’t wait. Making the speaker out of stone too I expect for a more solid sound and as for the paper light recharging plug…
and the new scissor port… the phone will be so simple even a 2 year old could use it! 😀
It will also allow for hand gestures control.. my making a flat palm, a fist, or a v with the index and middle fingers.
Have you not heard of transparent aluminum?
I love Apple’s approach to development. They are constantly looking at new things. The excitement of the avant-garde but with a ‘hard work tested reality approach’ to bring really innovative products to market – mass market. Ferrari’s for the working class.
“Kim In-soon reports, “iPhone5 is likely to take liquid metal, an alloy of zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper and so forth…”
“…and so forth”??
I think he means the ‘exclusive to Apple’ secret sauce that makes Liquidmetal so valuable…and expensive which is exactly what iPhones need for ‘cachet’ 🙂
But you will save money, in that the “finishing step(s)” will go away. The part will be ready for assembly when it comes out of the machine.
Oh look an iPhone that doesn’t look like the previous generation of iPhones. I’m glad I never gave the 4S a second glance.
Yes, because we know THE most important feature of an iPhone is how it looks.
We know no matter how the new iPhone looks and works, you’ll find plenty to gripe about. It’s called par for the course for you, dear Stockboy.
Did you complain this much about the 3GS?
You must have really lost it when you lost your hair.
Just don’t look the same. 😉
“Bird never make nest in bare tree.” – Bond, James Bond
MDN’s resident homophobic misogynist talks yet more crap. What a dork.
With as many comments as you made about it, I am too. I can’t imagine what you would have been like if you had given it a long and hard look.
I can’t wait. I’ve dropped my phone with the resultant cracked screen (3gs). I would love for the new phone to have liquid metal, so that when it is dropped, I won’t have to bend down for it. It will just bounce right back up into my hand. 🙂
That is a slick demo with the metal balls bouncing in the glass tubes.
The liquid metal one keeps going and going…
The next iPhone will be made of magnesium and have a cream-filled center. Samsung will respond by replacing their phones’ batteries with raspberry coulee
and the headphone port will also accept snacks. The phone will also become a companion and friend, a la Siri.
“Siri, please make me a liverwurst sandwich.”
Hahaha, Siri, please AirPrint some Bacon.
Hmm, perhaps transparent Liquid Metal? Similar to Scotty via Star Trek IV tried to unsuccessfully dictate to an old Macintosh back in the day. 😉👍🆒
I have it on good authority that the iPhone 7 is made from Silly Putty. As you hold it, the warmth of your hand allows it to mold perfectly to your fingers. Also works great for literally copying news articles from your old fashion newspapers. The feature is dubbed iScan internally. still ironing out color issues. Silly Putty pink just not quite right.
All you people are forgetting that when there’s a new body design, there’s been a new OS update. Usually in the way of incredibly amazing. The ‘new iPhone’ with iOS 6.
“are expected to adopt unprecedented materials for their main bodies, that is, ceramic for the Galaxy S3 and liquid metal for iPhone5”
Of course everyone knows the reason for this, Samsung can never use liquid metal in a consumer product.
That is what Apple purchased from LQMT, the Exclusive Right to use liquid metal in the consumer space.
Talk about buying up most of the supply of a component! (flash , milling machines)
NO liquid metal components for ANYONE else in consumer electronics!
Cool, liquid metal. Can it change shape like the T1000? I use my iPhone for nearly everything — now I can use it to shiv someone!
——RM
I expected a liquid metal case in the last iPhone intro. This has been on the horizon for some time now.