Apple Hiring Engineers to Work With Liquidmetal Alloys

[Digitalclips]

The problem with design is that experience can hamper design thinking in some ways, and a sense of what is "right design" is not really teachable but does come with experience.
The junior designers at Apple, slaving away under Jonny Ive, are getting the kind of experience that comes from sitting at the feet of a master designer, while an experienced designer coming out of Microsoft has learned the wrong stuff, if anything.

They have designers at MS? I thought they just waited to see what Apple did yesterday and try to reverse engineer it today, like they did with windblows and most everything else they ever came out with.

 

[mikerr]

My old (2006) MP3 player has a back made out of LM:

I don't think its anything special really, like a dull aluminium.

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

This would mean with the next redesign we are not going to continue with the glass backing of the iPhone.

Rather than worrying of having the iPhone cracking in the front and back of the device, we now only have to worry about the front since that will continue to be glass.

You should watch the iPhone 4 manufacturing video! You can see in this video, that the glass, which Apple uses for the iPhone 4 can be bended like plastic. At the same time, it has a high scratch resistance. Apple uses the same glass, which military helicopters use.

iPhone 4 manufacturing video:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/#video-iphone

iPhone 4 design details:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/design/

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

Highly unlikely. While using soft aluminum for MBPs was a stupid idea it was less stupid than using glass for iPhones. iPhones should be redesigned first.

1. The aluminium which Apple uses is not pure aluminium, it is an alloy, called duralumin. It has the lightness of aluminium and the strenght of steel.
2. The glass which Apple uses for the iPhone 4 can be bended like plastic. At the same time, it is 40 times harder than plastic and very scratch resistant.

Watch the iPhone 4 manufacturing video:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/#video-iphone

And the MacBook Pro manufacturing video:
http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/design.html

More about Duralumin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duralumin

 

[koruki]

They have designers at MS? I thought they just waited to see what Apple did yesterday and try to reverse engineer it today, like they did with windblows and most everything else they ever came out with.

Its hard to design 4 squares than one bitten fruit

 

[SlamJam12]

Interesting

Who knows what Apple has up their sleeve. They might have the engineers help out with how liquidmetal alloys may work with the internals of a device.

 

[GamecockMac]

Highly unlikely. While using soft aluminum for MBPs was a stupid idea it was less stupid than using glass for iPhones. iPhones should be redesigned first.

Still trying to spread your ridiculous FUD that Macbooks are made out of "soft" aluminum, huh?

Pathetic.

 

[ct95]

I wonder if there are any controls watching that the Liquidmetal technology does not get exported to China by Apple to be manufactured there. I'd wager that the U.S. government funded this research and possibly owns the actual patents.

I hope somebody at the State Department is watching that no export or ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) violations occur. We cannot afford to cede all of our manufacturing technologies to China.

 

[NT1440]

I wonder if there are any controls watching that the Liquidmetal technology does not get exported to China by Apple to be manufactured there. I'd wager that the U.S. government funded this research and possibly owns the actual patents.

I hope somebody at the State Department is watching that no export or ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) violations occur. We cannot afford to cede all of our manufacturing technologies to China.

Where have you been the last 30 years?

Public sector drives the innovation (internet, satellites, fiber optics, computers, etc) , its sold to private companies to be sold to consumers, but manufactured overseas.

R&D costs: socialized (paid by taxpayer money)
Profits: Privatized

 

[ct95]

Where have you been the last 30 years?

Public sector drives the innovation (internet, satellites, fiber optics, computers, etc) , its sold to private companies to be sold to consumers, but manufactured overseas.

R&D costs: socialized (paid by taxpayer money)
Profits: Privatized

Oh I'm fully aware of this trend. I don't have a problem assembling toys and the like overseas. In fact, I count iPods and iPads in the "toy" category. I do have a problem exporting technology that can be used in making weapons against us.

 

[Steve121178]

the man most directly responsible will be miles bennet dyson