liquidmetal alloyKorean site ETNews.com claims that Apple is planning to use new "liquid metal" alloys in the iPhone 5 to yield a thinner and lighter device that is resistant to impact damage. Apple acquired the rights to Liquidmetal Technologies' "amorphous metal alloys" in August 2010 and soon after was spotted hiring engineers to work on the materials, but little concrete news on Liquidmetal's contributions to Apple has appeared since that time.

According to industry sources, the next flagship phones of [Apple and Samsung] are expected to adopt unprecedented materials for their main bodies, that is, ceramic for the Galaxy S3 and liquid metal for iPhone5, both being thin, light and highly resistant to external impacts. The new phase of the rivalry is because neither one of them can get a decisive edge over the other solely with its OS and AP specifications, features or design.

The report also claims that the iPhone 5 will debut in June at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), returning to the mid-year launch schedule seen up until last year's launch of the iPhone 4S in October. Most observers expect, however, that the iPhone 5 will not launch until the later September-October timeframe this year as well.

ETNews does not have a lengthy track record regarding Apple rumors, although the site did incorrectly claim last year that the iPhone would launch in late June with a special event several weeks after WWDC. The site appears to have been more accurate with its January claim that Sharp had been cut out of the supply chain for the display in the new iPad. Sharp did experience difficulties meeting Apple's quality control standards for the display production, and is only now ramping up production to help meet demand.

Based on the source's unreliable track record, the preponderance of expectations pointing to a release later in the year, and a lack of corroborating claims regarding Apple's plans for Liquidmetal's alloys, we believe that this rumor is not particularly reliable. Consequently, we are posting this claim to our blog primarily for reader interest and discussion.

Tag: ETNews
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Agent OrangeZ Avatar
149 months ago
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dobiewonkanobie Avatar
149 months ago
"We want page hits."

It is called Mac RUMORS for a reason.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menopause Avatar
149 months ago
Liberal pinch of salt added.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
slnko-v-sieti Avatar
149 months ago
The new phase of the rivalry is because neither one of them can get a decisive edge over the other solely with its OS and AP specifications, features or design.
Pretty sure I don't agree with that generalization. Hasn't the iPhone been crushing it precisely because of the edge it has when it comes to iOS, design, app store, &tc.?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
149 months ago
The new phase of the rivalry is because neither one of them can get a decisive edge over the other solely with its OS and AP specifications, features or design.

LMAO.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dades Avatar
149 months ago
It wasn't called the iPad 3 and it won't be the iPhone 5. Can we please nip this in the bud, now, before the whole world gets confused again? Thanks.
Do you know what it's going to be called?

People have to call it something until it's announced. Who gives a crap - we all know the rumour relates to the next iPhone. 5, 6, HD, *new* whatever.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17 and iPhones Feature

iOS 17: 10 New Features That Just Launched

Sunday September 17, 2023 12:35 pm PDT by
In June, Apple announced iOS 17 with a wide range of new features and changes for the iPhone. Following over three months of beta testing, the free software update will be released this Monday, September 18 for the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have recapped 10 key features coming to the iPhone with iOS 17, with additional features coming later this year. The update should be released to...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 17 With StandBy, Live Voicemail, Improved Autocorrect, FaceTime Video Messages and Tons More

Monday September 18, 2023 10:05 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the latest operating system updates that are designed for the iPhone and iPad. As with all of Apple's software updates, iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 are available for free. iOS 17 is compatible with the iPhone XR/iPhone XS and later, while iPadOS 17 runs on the iPad mini 5 and later, the iPad 6 and later, iPad Air 3 and later, the second-generation 12.9-inch...
flighty standby

Best Apps With New iOS 17 and watchOS 10 Features

Monday September 18, 2023 3:02 pm PDT by
With the release of a new operating system, there are multiple features and design elements for developers to adopt. Now that iOS 17 is out, many major apps are getting interesting updates today, which we've rounded up below. watchOS 10 also has a new design language, so there are a range of Apple Watch updates to check out too. Flighty (Free, Premium Subscription) Popular flight tracking...