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Apple Acquires Rights to Liquidmetal Technologies' Advanced Metal Alloys

They used to make golf clubs (metal woods). T-1000 reference had me thinking about those metal Wilson tennis racquets that Jimmy Connors used to use. First metal racquets perhaps.
 
lilo777 said:
So, Apple finally admits that using aluminum was a stupid idea. Other companies were using alloys for laptop cases for decades, now Apple decided to join them. Better late than never, I guess.
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How was it stupid? Aluminum is a lightweight metal and yet strong. It is also highly recyclable.

And from Apple's perspective, it being metal and acting as an external heatsink is a bonus for them to get things as thin as possible. :p
 
quagmire said:
How was it stupid? Aluminum is a lightweight metal and yet strong. It is also highly recyclable.

And from Apple's perspective, it being metal and acting as an external heatsink is a bonus for them to get things as thin as possible. :p
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Besides, that's what they make some airplanes from. AAAAAlright!




And other things too.



Giggity!
 
One thing this alloy will not be good for is electrical conduction. It is the strict crystalline structure of metal that gives it is good conductivity. However, I do not know how permeable this will be to EM signals. Presumably, if it is better than aluminum, it would be preferable in making device cases out of this as they would get better reception.

This would not solve the iphone antenna issue, as this solution would decrease the conductivity of the band and be counterproductive. However, they could potentially make an iphone out of this (a la the iphone 1's aluminum back) with less performance impact.
 
That is cool. Can't wait for an Apple T-1000.

Dell will be also in the robot business. Aiden Shaw will say, it is 200$ cheaper and offers better value for money.

old-robot-1.jpg
 
You are all reading to much into it... What this means is that Apple is going head to head with Nike and the other big boys of athletics. Apple baseball bats with a built in iPod, skis with an iPad in each tip, and drivers and fairway woods with a MacPro in the head. Multitasking at its finest. Good luck finding the 30-pin connecting port...
 
lilo777 said:
So, Apple finally admits that using aluminum was a stupid idea. Other companies were using alloys for laptop cases for decades, now Apple decided to join them. Better late than never, I guess.
Click to expand...

Please explain that.
 
iTerminate? Available Podcasts including educational discounts under "iTerminate U".
 
No wonder why Apple products are getting so expensive. None of those cheap China plastic. Up next, glass will be replaced with diamonds and electrical components will be made of platinum.
 
I see future iPhones going to the BRICK construction. Right now it is just a band.
 
lilo777 said:
So, Apple finally admits that using aluminum was a stupid idea. Other companies were using alloys for laptop cases for decades, now Apple decided to join them. Better late than never, I guess.
Click to expand...

All commercial alum products are aluminum alloys. "Aluminum alloys are alloys in which aluminium is the predominant metal. Typical alloying elements are copper, zinc, manganese, silicon, and magnesium." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_alloys
 
lilo777 said:
So, Apple finally admits that using aluminum was a stupid idea. Other companies were using alloys for laptop cases for decades, now Apple decided to join them. Better late than never, I guess.
Click to expand...

Strange, most other laptops I see are made out of plastic.
 
The T-1000 used a mimetic poly-alloy for it's structure. The T-X used the same poly-alloy for its outside coating, but had an internal structure like previous models. My guess is that this new alloy will allow for the morphing of future iPhones to become whatever phone they want. In an area where AT&T doesn't work? Not a problem....boom - StarTAC model morph.
 
This is the same company that made golf clubs, with the demo being a bounce test of the liquidmetal material compared to other common golf club materials to show the high amount of energy transfer. Seems as though they've branched into many other fields since then.

http://www.liquidmetal.com/applications/
 
They are always looking at what is next. You think Dell or HP would do something like this... like ever? Yeah Apple make some mistakes along the way sometimes (iPhone 4 antenna) and they can be frustrating in some of their lack of offerings (no option for Matte Displays for iMacs and 13" MBP or no minitower products), but you gotta love their overall path of innovation.
 
MacRumors said:
These characteristic properties are:

- High Yield Strength
- High Hardness
- Superior Strength/Weight Ratio
- Superior Elastic Limit
- High Corrosion Resistance
- High Wear-Resistance
- Unique Acoustical Properties
Click to expand...

- The ability to form simple weapons
 
chrmjenkins said:
One thing this alloy will not be good for is electrical conduction. It is the strict crystalline structure of metal that gives it is good conductivity. However, I do not know how permeable this will be to EM signals. Presumably, if it is better than aluminum, it would be preferable in making device cases out of this as they would get better reception.

This would not solve the iphone antenna issue, as this solution would decrease the conductivity of the band and be counterproductive. However, they could potentially make an iphone out of this (a la the iphone 1's aluminum back) with less performance impact.
Click to expand...

I beg to differ. This material has ALREADY been used as an antenna (http://www.liquidmetal.com/index/) in the Novatel USB 727, a device that got great reviews for its reception.
 
That's really cool. I've been following Liquid Metal since it was announced over a decade ago. I always thought it was strange that so few companies seemed interested in this innovative product. The material is so unique and accurate they claim you could create a razor blade via injection molding. Pretty impressive.

Interesting ball bounce demonstration:
http://www.liquidmetal.com/media/ball_bounce_DSL.mov
 
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