Apple's Liquidmetal Flowing Slower Than Previously Thought
May 3, 2012
There had been talk in recent weeks that Apple's newest slate of iDevices or MacBooks could be encased in its exclusive Liquidmetal alloy, but according to the inventor of the material, that's not likely to happen for at least another three years.
In an interview with Business Insider, Dr. Atakan Peker stated that there is currently "no suitable manufacturing infrastructure" in place capable of producing sufficiently large yields of the material.
According to AppleInsider, Peker
estimates that an investment of $300 million to $500 million and three to five years would be needed before the metal finds its way into the hands of consumers. ... It is unlikely that MacBook casings will be made from the material in the near future, however there is a possibility that small operational parts such as hinges and brackets can be produced.However, when such a time comes that Liquidmetal is able to feature heavily in the design of a product, Peker says that product will not only enjoy the production discounts and stability perks that the alloy provides, but it will
likely bring an innovative user interface and industrial design together, and will also be very difficult to copy or duplicate with other material technologies.That certainly sounds like something those Cupertino engineers would do, but I don't know about that last bit. Samsung is awfully adept at copying anything Apple...
