Forbes Believes That Metal Back On Rumored iPhone 5 Is LiquidMetal
Posted by Michael Nace on Friday Jun 1, 2012 Under iPhone 5 Opinion
Take a look at the photo again -- you think that's LiquidMetal?
All that luscious metal on the back of those purported images of the iPhone 5 — my first question was: is that stuff LiquidMetal? It surprised me that, with all the talk of the metal components of the newly leaked part photos if anyone was going to confirm or debunk the LiquidMetal rumors, which have persisted for several months now.
Forbes finally weighed in on what kind of metal we’re seeing on the recent photos, and they appear to believe that it is LiquidMetal:
Apple CEO Cook said, “We’re going to double down on secrecy on products.” Coincidentally at the same time online photos of what appear to be parts of iPhone 5 were published by 9To5Mac. In the picture published 9To5Mac, the back of the phone appears to be Liquidmetal.
Writer Nigam Arora appears to be the first to suggest that the back of the iPhone parts we’ve seen is LiquidMetal — but his article really isn’t about that detail; he spends more time talking about how, as per their agreement with Apple, LiquidMetal doesn’t stand to make major gains, even if their unique metal alloy is used in mass production, and thus, their stock is overhyped. That may or may not be true — even though Apple controls some licensing for LiquidMetal, I cannot imagine that means that Cupertino doesn’t need to remunerate them for materials used beyond their lump-sum licensing payment — it’s interesting that Mr. Arora is so sure that what he is seeing is LiquidMetal.
A recent LiquidMetal-inspired iPhone concept. I kind of like this one better!
My first instinct was that the metal piece was not LiquidMetal, and that perhaps, because the alloy is more expensive than regular aluminum, that the metals seen in the photo might be place-holders. It could also explain the color mismatching as well. Furthermore, it would seem to me that, because LiquidMetal has historically be used on products to give them a unique, premium look, I imagined its use on the iPhone 5 to include the holographic Apple logo, or otherwise some other creative usage.
If the parts are real, and that’s LiquidMetal being used, it doesn’t seem to be delivering a look or purpose that would be worthy of the hype.
By Michael Nace
Michael Nace is the Publisher of the iPhone 5 News Blog and iPhone 6 News Blog. He has published articles about the iPhone since 2010.
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June 1st, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Now THAT is a sick looking iPhone concept! That is much more of what would be expected from Apple! I want more pics of that concept!
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June 1st, 2012 at 6:43 pm
It is indeed one fantastic looking mock up. Where do I sign up for one of those phones instead of the weird two tone phone we got from 9to5?
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June 1st, 2012 at 6:51 pm
I like the new prototype picture better than the old ones
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June 1st, 2012 at 7:36 pm
NO WAY is that “placeholder” metal. Whatever that metal is, it is what will be used on the final product *assuming* these parts are legit. Think about it, a company that builds 10′s of millions of these things is going to worry about the cost of a few hundred (at the very very very most) prototypes? NO WAY!
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June 1st, 2012 at 8:35 pm
I don’t understand the, tape looking, piece in the middle? It doesn’t seem to match Apples design ethic? Its not very minimalistic, which is one thing I love about Apple products
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June 1st, 2012 at 8:39 pm
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June 1st, 2012 at 8:46 pm
as much as i love Apple,if this is the next iPhone i think i will pass it.this is not possible…i can’t belive that they are going to make that mistake.
this is a very ugly phone,this is not Apple.
they had 2 years and 6 month to think at another revolutionary design and they come with this?????
and according to all the rummors we gone have the same A5 chip….this is ridiculos…
samsung and htc have quad core phones and Apple can’t deliver a quad core after 1 year and 6 months from the launch of the A5????
what is wrong with them????
if this is the design…ugly as hell and 1 cm longer…and still a lame A5 procesor…they will make a big mistake…
what is going on at Apple???
excuse my english..i am from Romania.
p.s : Michael,what is your opinion,this is the real deal???
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June 1st, 2012 at 8:51 pm
by the way,this concept is amaizing…if u have that,plus 4inch plus a quad core…OMG…
in the last 2 years,we saw some bad ass designs,and after that,they came up with that??????
unbeliveble!!
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June 1st, 2012 at 9:13 pm
@connor you do realize that’s not a real or at least final design from apple? It might be a fake or just a prototype far from ready. I think it’s fairly obvious that Samsung shamelessly rips off almost all of Apple’s designs. Just check put the chromebox vs the Mac mini, chromebook vs MacBook air and a lot more. They’re stealing designs from Apple that Apple came up with years ago. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion but honestly I hate samsungs designs, mostly because there ripoffs and that they’re just very poorly made in my opinion, they just feel cheap, I hate the plasticky feel.
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June 1st, 2012 at 9:31 pm
@michael, you see that? You have audience in Romania!
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June 1st, 2012 at 9:33 pm
I get tired of hearing people compare the specs of their phones, especially Android users who boast of their quad-core processor and look down their noses at the lowly, dual-core iPhone. I have an iPhone 4S, and it works wonderfully. It’s fast, does everything I need it to do, and it never crashes. In my opinion, the iPhone doesn’t need some big processor just for the sake of having a big processor. While Android phones keep adding cores for fun, I’ll enjoy my usability and battery life.
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June 1st, 2012 at 9:38 pm
@undfeatable
In Soviet Russia audience have you!
Sorry, I had to…;-)
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June 1st, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Well if it is liquidmetal there are two things that could be impacted.
1. It would essentially eliminate the possibility of inductive charging. According to liquidmetal.com the metal has a high resistance and is not recommended for conductive purposes. While I do realize there is a difference between conductive and inductive, the metal would still have to have a low resistance to allow the electrons to pass through it.
2. I’ve read several articles about the appearance of liquidmetal and the many forms it can take from being rough and gritty to being smooth and polished. What if, and this is a big IF…the rear chassis we are viewing from 9 to 5 are not yet complete and are awaiting some thorough buffing. Just a hypothesis I wanted to throw out there.
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June 1st, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Just because a phone has more cores, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better compared to another phone with less cores. -.- The iPhone 4S is just as fast as any recently released phone, so smooth and quick, you wouldn’t even tell the difference! Apple doesn’t waste their time on high end specs, what it all comes down to is how they can produce a phone that is quick and fast for all smartphone users to enjoy, if you hadn’t known that already then you (cosmin) sure as hell don’t know Apple and their ways.
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June 1st, 2012 at 10:43 pm
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June 1st, 2012 at 11:37 pm
I’m not sure I really care what it looks like. I really liked the 3GS but find the 4s to function just as awesomely. And there it is – function – when androids start functioning like an iPhone then I’ll care to compare. The iPhone could look like anything as long as it did everything and sat comfortable in my hand and was just as amazing as it has been. I still await the Samsung device that doesn’t cramp up when used. And most people wrap their phones in some hideous case anyway; give me a luscious screen that performs smoothly and fits in my pocket with a case any day.
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June 2nd, 2012 at 12:41 am
@Michael DeCook, My SonicCare toothbrush handle is very non-conductive plastic, yet it uses inductive charging. Inductive charging involves essentially a transformer type charging where you have two coils transmitting AC like a transformer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging
If you have a piece of conductive metal between the coils, there will be change in the flux lines of the electromagnetic field, and that will have to be considered when placing the coil inside the iphone. How consistent the liquidmetal is from case to case would be an important aspect to measure in them. Apple would have to worry about creating a (in effect) shielded cable, which would be harder to pass the induction through the case.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shielded_cable
Ah, the joys of going back to my Electronic Engineering days!
PS: I like the bottom pic, because the headset jack is on the top where it belongs…
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June 2nd, 2012 at 3:51 am
@SpasticPat : Romania never was in Soviet Russia,learn your facts
@Christian : ok,and u are fine with that?if they dont spend they money on high end specs then why the hell is iPhone the most expensive phone out there?for what?if you dont spend the time form high end specs,make the phone maxim 400$…
And a phone with quad core,does everything faster…belive me.
I love Apple…I love my iMac,my macbook my iPad…i had all iPhone generations since 2007…
But,when something is wrong i cant say is righ just because i am an Apple Fan…
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June 2nd, 2012 at 12:22 pm
@Cosmin,
spend they money on high end specs then why the hell is iPhone the most expensive phone out there?
Apple has rarely the highest end specs on their computers; they charge a premium on integration, usability, simplicity, and stability. Walk into a computer store that carries brand names, and one has to wonder if the HP 9200 is better than the 9300, or is it going after a different market? Plus the 9120 may be worse than the 9220 because of having a different combination of memory, HD, and/or video card.
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June 2nd, 2012 at 1:19 pm
@Bankshot 2006ish? are you kidding me? and i’ve seen many mockups over the past few months too but i wouldn’t exactly say that they’re any better except for a couple that we’re pretty good. I kind of find it hard to believe that you like design of the leaked photos better than the “2006ish” iPhone 5 mockup, but hey…everyone has different tastes. So don’t tell people to “quit acting like that mock up is the best thing since sliced bread”. It’s unnecessary v__v
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June 2nd, 2012 at 1:38 pm
@ cosmin the joke has nothing to do with it being in soviet Russia, its a joke coined by Yakov Smirnoff, learn your facts Lol
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June 2nd, 2012 at 1:43 pm
I agree that the strips of metal are probably place holders. The two tone look is just not Apple’s style. Steve Jobs stressed a simple yet stylish design philosophy.
2 more weeks and we might see if these leaks are real.
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June 2nd, 2012 at 1:51 pm
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June 2nd, 2012 at 3:15 pm
spasticpat : ok,i learnd my facts
now,i dont belive the strips are place holders…it is no reason to belive this.
asd : after i said that i am from Romania,spasticpat said that line.u dont read all the comments?
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June 2nd, 2012 at 3:22 pm
That’s definitely my favorite conceptual photo … it still looks to be a bit bigger than what I’d like it to be but Apple can’t please everyone. I just want the damn thing to fit in my pocket, that’s all I ask for. Other than that, it looks a bit slimmer, and sleeker. Overall thoughts: this gets a thumbs up from me!
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June 2nd, 2012 at 3:27 pm
@ Jeff in Everett :
i know that,but i think they are overpriced.if u charge me 750 at least give high end specs.i am wrong??
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June 2nd, 2012 at 6:56 pm
@Cosmin,
Apple’s business model is to sell high-end phones at a profit. They leveraged their status as a quality manufacturer to produce the first iPhone which was radically different from phones at the time.
The Android market has a different business model. They copy Apple’s ideas and try to sell their phones at a small profit (or even as a loss leader to try and build market share). They can put higher end features in, but that doesn’t make the product itself higher end. Sometimes the specs on a Nissan will exceed those on a much more expensive Mercedes, but hey, which is better?
My local paper reported that despite having a minority of the market share, Apple is responsible for 75% of the profit in smart phone sales. That’s a business model, and I don’t think they are going to mess around with it. Anecdotally, I’m seeing people buying a Mac because they had a good experience with an iPhone.
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June 2nd, 2012 at 8:31 pm
@Cosmin
Yes, I’ll give you that! BTW, Welcome to the site! And that goes to all the new people commenting. (It’s not my site, but welcome nonetheless!)
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June 2nd, 2012 at 11:13 pm
@ cosmin: I’m definitely fine if Apple doesn’t offer the most high end specs, but that’s just my opinion, and others might differ. And the reason they are priced so high, because of profit, obviously. And I don’t mind if I need to pay more, because I know I’m buying a product that’ll never dissapoint!! Don’t get me wrong, quad core phones are probably pretty fast, but why does Apple need to add in more cores when the iPhone is just as fast? Just because a phone has ALL the high end specs, doesn’t mean that it’s going to be the best and fastest phone out there.
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June 3rd, 2012 at 2:53 pm
@ Jeff in Everett : thk u man.
@Christian : ok, i am with u.i love Apple products…the laptop family is outstanding…iMac…not so good…i already had problems with the display…
the iPhone is great,beautiful product,never had a problem since 2007.
i really hope that the leaked parts are fake,because i really hate that design.
i think enough is enough,we’ve seen such beautiful mock-ups…i really hope for an amazing design,i don’t want the same thing over and over…iPhone was great,in 2010…maybe in 2011…but now,i really need another thing….
but…maybe is just me…
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June 3rd, 2012 at 4:34 pm
IF these were real Applw / Ive designs, he would have announced his retirement by now…. AWFUL.
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June 3rd, 2012 at 6:41 pm
@ cosmin: I’m surprised with all the hate the leaked parts have gotten, I myself, like them, and again, that’s my opinion. But, the back, with that metal strip running between is disgusting, and I hope Apple won’t put that in the iPhone 5. And yes, I do agree that the design is getting old, and if I were Apple, I know that a redesign of the new iPhone would definitely grab peoples’ attention.
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June 3rd, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Really liked the second picture there, hopefully the new iphone will look something like that
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June 4th, 2012 at 9:35 am
I’m liking the newer concept. I still think that top concept idea is garbage, it’s too much like the 4 and the 2 slithers of glass top and bottom are pointless. I really like the Apple logo on the new concept.
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June 4th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
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