This article is more than 1 year old

I'LL BE APP! Apple renews LiquidMetal contract, Terminator rumours flood interwebs

Handy alloy only used in SIM ejector tools... so far

Apple has extended its partnership with a firm called LiquidMetal, making it more than likely its eponymous alloy will be used in some upcoming iThing.

Sadly, this exciting-sounding material won't actually allow the fruity firm to create shape-shifting Terminators because its uses are likely to be far more prosaic. So far, Apple has only used LiquidMetal in the SIM card ejector tool for the iPhone 3G.

Apple signed an exclusivity deal with LiquidMetal back in 2012, but this ran out in February.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple announced it would extend this agreement until February 2015.

LiquidMetal is an alloy that is stronger than titanium and resistant to corrosion and scratches. It's also super-easy to mould.

So what exciting uses will this glamorous metal be put to? When will the iPhone be made out of actual liquid metal? Probably never, sadly. Dr Atakan Peker, inventor of the alloy, said it will be used in "small components like hinges or brackets".

Roll on the iHinge. Who ever said that Apple under Tim Cook was dull?

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like