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I guess liquid metal is the next sapphire...

(that statement should roll up the toe nails of all the chemists out there, but I meant from a business perspective...)
 
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Why? What did you do with it? Throw it away? If it bums you out so much, you should take better care of your stuff.

Mine still sits securely in my iPhone 6+ box. I can sell it to you for $50, if you wish. I do have paper clips available, and to be frank, the metal feels kinda cheap. But hey, if it makes people so sad not to have it and so excited to own it...

We don't get them here in the US with devices bought with or for a carrier. You can only get them on the unlocked phone from Apple or an international phone. The US carrier iPhone's haven't come with one since the 3GS.
 
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Why is everyone so sour about this news? Its a good thing that apple has been working with the material but not releasing a phone with it inside. With all the years that apple has been working with it in labs, they will have several years more experience with the material. Competitors will be scrambling like crazy to figure out how to use it while apple has already mastered it. Had apple used it to make a phone right off the bat. We would have gotten a phone with great material, but a horrible execution. Competitors would also be able to use iPhone to study how it works and at least learn a bit about the material. At least thats how I see it.
 
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wonder what would have been created with liquidmetal had apple not continuously sat on it...sim tool aside...

As far as I know Apple doesn't buy up technologies so they can sit on them until they're obsolete. It's very possible that when Apple bought the tech it wasn't ready, and it's possible the tech still isn't ready. You win some, you lose some.
 
In 2019 Apple plans to use a liquid metal spring clip to secure the wifi cable on the mac pro...
 
image.jpg

Apple Tennis.

You heard it here first folks.
 
wonder what would have been created with liquidmetal had apple not continuously sat on it...sim tool aside...

This is a fairly new material, it's not one bit easy to just put it out there.

All current metals used in the iPhone are age old, tried and tested materials. We know how they work, what effects them Etc.

Being able to produce a liquid metal phone is one hurdle, but then making sure that material behaves the way we need it to is a whole different story.
 
This is a fairly new material, it's not one bit easy to just put it out there.

All current metals used in the iPhone are age old, tried and tested materials. We know how they work, what effects them Etc.

Being able to produce a liquid metal phone is one hurdle, but then making sure that material behaves the way we need it to is a whole different story.
See post 51 and get back to me about this being a fairly new material. It's been used in all sorts of products, including phones.
 
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Apple is really taunting me with the endless re-upping of their exclusive rights to this material.

it's lighter than aluminum but stronger than titanium. it's virtually scuff-proof. it can be used in molds to create complex forms one would normally need a CNC machine for. It can, depending on how its treated, it can also be radio transparent...so no more antenna lines or plastic inserts required.

C'mon apple. I know you paid a truckload of money for all those milling machines, but screw it...this is the future. waterproof your circuitboards with vapor deposit before tucking them into a case made of this stuff, and you'll have a slam dunk. Better still, it will take years before the competition gains enough competency to even start using it themselves.
 
Before everybody says the the only thing that Apple has made out of Liquid Metal was the SIM tool,
Consider this...

I believe that LiquidMetal is being used in one of their very high profile products.
LiquidMetal is made out of a variety of metals, typically including zirconium, titanium, copper, nickel, and aluminum, etc. But it is VERY closely related to being a glass, or ceramic based upon how it doesn't crystalize during cooling when the alloy solidifies. That is a significant reason why LiquidMetal is so strong. Another benefit of LiquidMetal is that it can be cast into very precise shapes, that don't require lots of tooling to get them into a finished form.

One should also note that Apple describes the back of the Apple Watch, as being made out a ceramic. My suspicion is that the back is not a conventional ceramic, but instead made out of a special formulation of...
(You Guessed it!) *** LiquidMetal***

LiquidMetal would be an ideal material to use in making a watch, however Apple wasn't the first....
That honor goes to Omega

Here's a couple of references:
 
Whatever they're doing with it, they've been trying for a really long time. Maybe the new MBA will be made out of the stuff.

New MBA? In the face of the new MacBook I think the chances of their being a new generation of Airs is pretty slim. The MB is replacing the Air much like the Air once replaced the MB. Time being the flat circle that it is.
 
Nope, the idea that it's radio transparent is a misunderstanding.

One of the inventors was being interviewed and commented that maybe its electrical conductance could be enhanced so it could be used as a full body antenna for an all metal phone (like happened later with the HTC One and then the iPhone).

A few people ignored the part about the metal being the antenna, and started spreading the false rumor that it let radio waves through. As usual, the internet never corrected itself.
Good to know! I remember hearing that a long time ago but had trouble finding a source. Glad to know I'm not crazy, but sad to know it isn't radio transparent. If only I could pay Apple extra for a titanium model!
 
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