“The blogosphere just won’t let go of the idea that Apple is on the verge of using Liquidmetal technology in one of its products,” Adrian Kingsley-Hughes reports for ZDNet. “Last week it was the iPhone 5 that was going to get the Liquidmetal treatment, and now it’s rumored to be a feature of the MacBook Pro 2012 refresh.”
“I like the idea of a Liquidmetal MacBook Pro — or for that matter any portable — more than I do the idea of making the back of an iPhone out of the material,” Kingsley-Hughes reports. “The first reason is production. Casting is normally a much quicker process machining parts, and this gives the Liquidmetal chassis an advantage over how Apple currently manufactures parts for portable systems.”
Kingsley-Hughes reports, “Another reason for switching from aluminum to Liquidmetal is that portables have to deal with countless bumps, scratches and abrasion on a daily basis. Liquidmetal would certainly offer a system far greater protection than aluminum does, and keep the hardware looking better for a lot longer.”
Read more in the full article here.
John Brownlee reports for Cult of Mac, “An ex Liquidmetal exec thought Apple would make iPhones out of it. A source speaking to MacTrast, though, says that Apple’s Liquidmetal investment won’t debut in the iOS line, but instead in March’s MacBook Pro refresh… which looks like a far more radical redesign than previously suspected.”
“Since Liquidmetal is both stronger and lighter than aluminum, a Liquidmetal MacBook Pro could be up to 20% lighter than current models,” Brownlee reports. “That means the 13-inch Pro will weigh only 3.7 pounds (down from 4.5),while the 15-inch will slim down to 4.6 pounds (from 5.8) and the 17-inch to 5.3 pounds (from 6.6).”
Brownlee reports, “Additionally, the report says that Apple has managed to improve battery life by up to 20% over current models, while simultaneously lowering power consumption thanks to a new type of display. Combined, this might drastically increase the already impressive battery life of the MacBook Pro line.”
Read more in the full article here.
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