Casing Material change at WWDC?

[MikeELL]

It seems to me that with them launching new versions of all mac models at WWDC, they have an opportunity to do something they've never done before: they could update the casing materials for all mac models in one fell swoop.

Here's a dark horse prediction for you: Next week we see all macs get the liquid metal treatment... Or even better (and more unlikely), how cool would it be if they did what I said in my post from this time last year:

This one is for the materials science geeks on this forum. I had a look back to this patent where Apple was researching Carbon fibre shells:
http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/30...iber-composite-materials-for-exterior-shells/

I was also looking at how long they've been working with Liquid metal:
http://m.gizmodo.com/5608322/is-apple-working-on-liquid-metal-terminators-or-what

And it seems to me that they are pursuing BOTH technologies with equal effort. It seemed strange to me that they would put so much effort into to two technologies when they would likely only use one for cases/structural requirements.

And then I found this excerpt from a book which describes how to fuse carbon fibre with metal alloys to create a sandwich which is similar to the first patent l linked to above.:
http://books.google.com.au/books?id...zfsvjjgl445HD_urpHU&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false

Based on all this, my guess is that apple is making some kind of fusion casing material that will be mouldable like liquid metal, have the extra strength of carbon fibre, and have the strength/weight properties of both. That would also explain some of the "darker" metal/liquid metal pics that have been floating around.

What do you think?

 

[grahamnp]

I don't expect to see liquid metal anything. I'm also not excited about it because everything we know is hearsay, it has yet to have any large scale application where its benefits are clear to see.

 

[maflynn]

While it may be cool to see the fruits of apple's purchase of liquid metal, I don't think we'll see it in the case.

 

[SpyderBite]

It seems to me that with them launching new versions of all mac models at WWDC

I'm sorry. I must have missed this declaration on the WWDC website. Where was it confirmed that such an announcement(s) was taking place at WWDC?

 

[maflynn]

No but that is the expectation.

Did you not see the MacRumor's front page
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/04/apple-to-update-nearly-entire-mac-lineup-at-wwdc/

Rumors are abound that apple is updating their entire line and since we are MacRumors such discussion should come as a surprise

 

[soulniz]

I hope they don't change casing material away from aluminium, I think it's great as it is.

 

[Stetrain]

From one of Liquidmetal's inventors:

Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it's unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term. It's more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement.

Business Insider

 

[MikeELL]

From one of Liquidmetal's inventors:



Business Insider

Yeah I did see that - but that was in 2010.

 

[w00t951]

Yeah I did see that - but that was in 2010.

It's Apple. If they were considering upgrading to Liquid Metal, they would have fielded a better kind of test than just some SIM ejector pins bundled with the iPhone 3GS.

 

[Stetrain]

Yeah I did see that - but that was in 2010.

Huh? The interview is dated May 2012.