Apple’s iPhone 5 is not only expected to make an appearance by June this year, but also to come swathed in a new liquid metal body, based on what some industry sources are saying.
The latest rumour from ETNews.com is that the new iPhone 5 will have a liquid alloy body. This composite might sound like more of a fictional substance (a la Terminator 2), but there are some facts to back up the theory that the iPhone 5 could well be rocking some next-generation material choices. Apple did in fact purchase a company called Liquidmetal Technologies back in August of 2010 and have since been hiring engineers to work on new material development.
Such an alloy would offer superior strength and rigidity for the new iPhone, whilst maintaining a lightweight frame, but the likely composition of zirconium, titanium, nickel and copper (a composition suggested by ETNews) would also provide a smooth surface finish and excellent scuff, scratch and shock resistance.
But there are some red flags raised to the rumours. Namely that Apple has yet to openly show any such work based on the liquid metal research it has supposedly been carrying out over the past two years. In addition, according to Mac Rumours, the source site in question hasn’t always been on the money with its facts, such as stating that the iPhone 4S launch was going to take place at a special post-WWDC event last year.
The iPhone 4S launched in October 2011 and we can’t believe Apple would release a new phone 10 months later. This is the latest iPhone 5 rumour, so we’ll have to wait and see of course, Apple is notoriously good and playing its cards close to their chest until the official unveil.
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