Next iPhone May Ditch Strengthened Glass for Liquidmetal: Report

Svelte as the iPhone 4/4S is, Apple's decision to go with chemically-strengthened glass for its back case has left many shattered iPhone owners down in the dumps. Rumor has it the next sixth-gen iPhone will be crafted from scratch-resistant Liquidmetal.

According to the Korean site ETNews:

In the meantime, iPhone5 is likely to take liquid metal, an alloy of zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper and so forth having an outer surface smooth like liquid. The new iPhone is expected to make its debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco in June.

ETNews cites the use of Liquidmetal as a possibility because of the material's strong resistance to scratching and light weight that could lead to thinner iPhones.

History lesson: Apple bought exclusive worldwide rights to use Liquidmetal's alloy technologies in 2010. Apple's since only used only used Liquidmetal to build its SIM card ejector pins. BORING. Liquidmetal is strong and light. It's perfect for iPhones, iPads and MacBook Pros.

MacRumors cautions that ETNews has been incorrect on iPhone rumors before, so take the news with a grain of salt.

I've discussed the benefits of Apple using Liquidmetal before as well as using other materials, but until Apple reveals a new iPhone, it's all speculation.

What do you want from the next iPhone? What kind of casing? Aluminum? Liquidmetal? Titanium? Carbon fiber? Plastic again?

ETNews, via SlashGear

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