Apple iPhone 5 to sport Liquidmetal casing: Reports

According to industry insiders’ iPhone 5, set to hit the market later this year will be sporting a ‘Liquidmetal’ casing—giving the next iPhone a sleek and much more robust look.

iPhone 5: Apple looking forward to metallic glass

There are reports emerging that the next Apple iPhone is switching over to a casing of ‘metallic glasses’ better known as Liquidmetal, in an effort to cut down the thickness of the handset as also enhanced durability.

Well, this metallic glass developed by California Institute of Technology is no new; the amorphous metal alloy has been in commercial usage since 2003. After its wide application in boiler tubes, petroleum drills and sporting accessories like golf ball cores and tennis rackets it looks like a surety to make inroads into the iPhone casings too.

Apple following Sandisk: Casing to embrace Liquidmetal

You excited Apple’s gonna introduce a unique stuff in gadget world? Hold on guys, that’s not the case.

Sandisk has already been using Liquidmetal in their Cruzer Titanium Flash for a long time. Well, they are strong, sleek and sporting—no doubt about that. But there’s a catch! Owing to a mix of Titanium, zirconium, copper, nickel and niobium, Liquidmetal posses a unique property of holding elastic energy—it exhibits bouncing effect. The implication is simple, it’s hard and durable for sure, but while dropped it may lead to bouncing of the iPhone–multiplying the chances of a shattered display.

But guys, Apple has surely taken note of that too. Perhaps, it not the durability of Liquidmetal that has got Apple engineers interested—rather it’s the high strength-weight ratio that have caught their eyes. Apple Inc. have secured the exclusive license to use Liquidmetal in consumer electronics (Swatch held the same for timepieces)—there’s must have enough reason to make the investment.

What’s your take on Liquidmetal iPhone casing? Feel free to drop in your thoughts.