They wanted it for the iPhone, but now they're afraid everyone is going to say they copied Samsung's LM phone
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Apple and Liquidmetal Technologies Extend Intellectual Property Agreement Until 2014
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They wanted it for the iPhone, but now they're afraid everyone is going to say they copied Samsung's LM phone
Right, and I'm on the verge of a time machine powered by a flux capacitor. Send me the money!
Unfortunately, I certainly won't make as much with my invention as someone that creates this proposed 30 day battery that would totally revolutionize the auto industry, let alone computers.
It is true though. Anyone can search the US Patent office. Apple has a patent for a fuel cell battery using amorphous alloy (liquid metal). It does not store energy, it creates it from Hydrogen. This is nothing new. It's called a fuel cell. But apple seems to have successfully miniaturized it. IMO this is where you'll see apple use LM, not in the casing of the phone.
Here I'll make it easy on everyone. You will need to read to discern what Apple is saying, but this patent is for a miniature fuel cell. Soon you won't have to charge your devices every day.
BTW. Creating a 30 day battery for a phone is MUCH different than creating one for a car. The demands placed on a phone battery are exponential less that the demands places in a car battery.
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=Amorphous.ABTX.&s2=Apple.ASNM.&OS=ABST/Amorphous+AND+AN/Apple&RS=ABST/Amorphous+AND+AN/Apple
That makes no sense. If Apple sees no value in it, why would they feel threatened enough to want to block others from accessing it?
There must be a plan in place and Apple is just waiting until the conditions are right to release x product.
I never said Apple didn't see any value in the product. Just that right now, there's more cost-effectiveness in continuing to manufacture with the techniques and tooling they developed for the unibody MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads rather than retooling to use LiquidMetal for the majority of their products. Either that, or they tried it and weren't 100% satisfied with it for whatever nitpicky reason - it might be something as simple as the tone of the metal, durability, feel, or hell even taste. If it brought significant advantages other than ease of manufacture, I guarantee they'd be using it already.
In either case, it makes sense to keep the license in case it makes more financial sense to use it in the future, and to keep competitors from building phones with beautiful metal form-factors that they currently cannot build without this technology. If you'll recall, the iPhone WAS plastic (like all those other smart phones) until Apple developed and patented the manufacturing techniques for unibody which enabled the iP4, iPad, etc. If they let the LiquidMetal tech be licensed by someone else, they'd lose a serious competitive edge in terms of manufacturing capability. Sure, it may not be as good as what they're currently using (like I said, I don't know), but it's unlikely the average consumer would know the difference, even if that's the case.
They didn't buy LiquidMetal so they could build something new and amazing that they couldn't build any other way. They bought it as a hedge bet. That's not to say that they won't find something really incredible to do with it some day, and I hope they do - but I don't think they're sitting around waiting to release some new "liquidmetal" device.
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Ok, so it's not a battery, it's a fuel-cell. People have successfully miniaturized fuel-cells before (granted at high-costs). If they've worked out a way to do it cheaper, this is a great win for technology, but don't expect to see hydrogen-powered iPhones and MacBooks even if they DO last 30 days on a charge, for one very simple reason:
Where you gonna get yer Hydrogen there, bubba?
"Yes, it can reassemble but that would require an AppleCare Plan for an additional $69, the 'Pro' version covers water damage for an additional $30."
(and hold the references to "SkyNet")
But car batteries can also be tens of thousands of times bigger than a phone battery. Seriously, if Apple increases storage capacity for batteries by 30 times and gets that performance in a portable size, it would change everything. Our entire electric grid could be reconfigured to rely on battery storage from erratic energy sources like wind and solar as well as baseload plants that run efficiently only at one full capacity setting. There would be no need for inefficient peak load plants and there would be less need for redundancy in energy systems to handle that one heat wave in August when all the ACs are going full blast.
Game changer. Also, basically what the entire world has been working on forever.
Microsoft's Liquid Metal
There is an interesting article on Forbes about the use of liquid metal in Microsoft's Surface tablet. I explains the obvious: that while LiquidMetal might be trademarked, it covers only one specific formulation/technology but everyone can come up with their own way of producing liquid metal parts. The article also provides details about Microsoft's version of liquid metal. As I understand, it does the trick in terms of mechanical properties but might be expensive to produce (compared to Liquid Metal version). In any case, it looks like a very interesting development that might give Surface an edge against many competitors.
There is an interesting article on Forbes about the use of liquid metal in Microsoft's Surface tablet. I explains the obvious: that while LiquidMetal might be trademarked, it covers only one specific formulation/technology but everyone can come up with their own way of producing liquid metal parts. The article also provides details about Microsoft's version of liquid metal. As I understand, it does the trick in terms of mechanical properties but might be expensive to produce (compared to Liquid Metal version). In any case, it looks like a very interesting development that might give Surface an edge against many competitors.
This doesn't stop anyone from innovating. They just need to create their own method of doing what liquid metal does.
Too bad that before 2010, they could freely license Caltech IP and use their Liquid Metal (which is 1 alloy with certain properties, amorphous metal alloys have been around since the 60s and are not exclusive to Caltech or "Liquid Metal").
*It would be helpful for most of you who, if you have not yet, *go to liquidmetal.com ... This is utterly NEW...PLastic was around for decades before they found a way to mass produce products with it. The sim tool (included for a limited run with the iPhone 3G) was simply a way of doing a first production test, nothing more.
well, Apple did file a patent (as seen along this thread) for some type of battery technology, but, I personally, from reading about LM think that it could have multiple uses, and, perhaps Apple filed this patent first because they saw this innovation needed the most protection....
If you read about LiquidMetal, you will see that it is a new combination of alloys and the technology/way they are able to mold these alloys. Typically metal does not mold the way plastic does and so aluminum is produced another way to make iPods and MacBook unibodies. ONE THING you will notice, if you read, is that LM can be pigmented the way plastic is, so LM will have a color that goes all the way through, unlike the color that is only on the outside surface of aluminum iPods (which can scratch off). Of course, LM may take some time (months/years) to develop to the point of using for MacBooks, but, we may see iPods and iPhones with LM backs sooner...again, if you read, you will see that LM, UNLIKE aluminum, does not block radio waves, they pass through LM, so this would be a viable solution for encasing a phone, AND have more color options, and has much more potential than previous materials. (Perhaps, on purpose, or by accident, it is highly conductive and therefore could be used for battery technology, but, I know little about this.)
well, Apple did file a patent (as seen along this thread) for some type of battery technology, but, I personally, from reading about LM think that it could have multiple uses, and, perhaps Apple filed this patent first because they saw this innovation needed the most protection....
If you read about LiquidMetal, you will see that it is a new combination of alloys and the technology/way they are able to mold these alloys. Typically metal does not mold the way plastic does and so aluminum is produced another way to make iPods and MacBook unibodies. ONE THING you will notice, if you read, is that LM can be pigmented the way plastic is, so LM will have a color that goes all the way through, unlike the color that is only on the outside surface of aluminum iPods (which can scratch off). Of course, LM may take some time (months/years) to develop to the point of using for MacBooks, but, we may see iPods and iPhones with LM backs sooner...again, if you read, you will see that LM, UNLIKE aluminum, does not block radio waves, they pass through LM, so this would be a viable solution for encasing a phone, AND have more color options, and has much more potential than previous materials. (Perhaps, on purpose, or by accident, it is highly conductive and therefore could be used for battery technology, but, I know little about this.)
Yes, however, casting aluminum is not like casting plastic, this process does not work to produce small, precise items such as iPhone backs or MacBook unibodies. ...again, read liquidmetal.com and you will see that metals pull away from the mold as they cool, plastic does not do this, LM works much more like plastic to mold. It would seem that molding LiquidMetal like plastic would be a more efficient, perhaps less expensive way to produce Apple's products, and be a better material, while offering more colors as well.
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Hi!
I have studied the liquidmetal.com website as you recommended, and I could not find anything like this. Could you give a direct link?
Nor could I find this on liquidmetal.com. Could you give a link?
I have studied the liquidmetal.com website as you recommended, and I could not find anything like this. Could you give a direct link?
Nor could I find this on liquidmetal.com. Could you give a link?
Aluminum parts can be casted to pretty exact specs and as pretty small parts (Apple did not always use CNC machining afterall). More colors ? Anodized alumimium can be made any color already pretty much.
Look, it might be cheaper, it might be better for reception, but frankly, as someone pointed out, the move is cheap by Apple as it blocks other players from using the material, some of which were already using it as far back as 2008.
This does not help innovation in the industry, it locks down innovation to a single vendor, one that seems more concerned about Sim ejection tools 4 years after others had shipped phones made of the stuff...
sad.
Of course, if they had called it "PlasticMetal", we wouldn't have everyone clamoring to have a phone made of it
"LiquidMetal" sounds so much more sexy.
You have that backwards. It BLOCKS radio waves from passing through it.
What most people (mis)read was a comment by one of its inventors (a metal expert, not a radio guy) that the alloy could be made MORE conductive and PERHAPS all that extra metal could be used as part of an ANTENNA.
I somewhat think this is the main reason Apple wants it for themselves, they don't want others using that name.
The material itself is probably not all that spectacular, and there are others making similar stuff. I remember when LiquidMetal came up in the custom knife community about a decade ago, they are quick to notice new alloys. There was a hype for two months or so, and then the interest faded again when it became clear this was no new miracle metal.
That does not mean it is bad, but usually with alloys it seems to me that when you improve some aspects, you get drawbacks in others.
ok, I went to their website, but it has changed since I was on it some time ago. I do not know where I read that it could take pigment or dye, perhaps I misread something.
...if an engineer is reading this, do you know if adding color is possible?I also thought I read that it does not block radio waves, however, I cannot find this now also. I could be wrong about this, too
...perhaps it had to do with the fact that it is conductive (though highly resistant) whereas aluminum is not. My error.
Of course, if they had called it "PlasticMetal", we wouldn't have everyone clamoring to have a phone made of it
"LiquidMetal" sounds so much more sexy.
...
You have that backwards. It BLOCKS radio waves from passing through it.
What most people (mis)read was a comment by one of its inventors (a metal expert, not a radio guy) that the alloy could be made MORE conductive and PERHAPS all that extra metal could be used as part of an ANTENNA.
Actually LiquidMetal is a metallic glass, though not transparent, the molding process is more similar to plastic than metal, but if they use glass in the name, I'm sure everyone would think it should be transparent.
...yes, I re-read about LiquidMetal and I think I misread that somewhere a while back, perhaps a comment from a forum, someone thought radio waves could pass through.
It's not as much the material as the process and the material. They have made something (it is a metallic glass, not really just metal) that is stronger and more durable than plastic (and some metals), yet items can be manufactured with a process similar to plastic, unlike aluminum or any other metals. They updated their website since I was on it some time ago and they have multiple uses for LM.
I digress, in doing some reading, it would seem that the more practical uses that Apple might use LM for could be an antenna or perhaps the inner frames of their various devices, where they use steel now (see link below). Maybe later we'll see a LM iPhone back (I want this). Although, I do not know why they filed a patent for battery or fuel cell use, perhaps this makes a better casing for fuel cell technology? Or maybe Apple filed this patent to distract people from what they are actually innovating with the material?
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/...oo-excited-about-a-liquidmetal-iphone-5/19967
Liquid metal Technology
Lol. That would be something to behold. I was really hoping to see in the new iPhone 5.
Lol. That would be something to behold. I was really hoping to see in the new iPhone 5.