Rumour: next iPhone to be encased in “liquid metal”

An interesting rumour has popped up on our radar this week, with the suggestion that Apple is looking into a technology called “liquid metal” for its next iPhone.

Rumours currently swirling on the Internet are suggesting that a new metal complete with a new design will be used for the iPhone 5, the next version of Apple’s highly successful smartphone.

This new metal is branded “Liquidmetal” and thankfully has nothing in common with the “liquid metal” bad guy in Terminator 2. Rather than be made of one single compound, Liquidmetal is an alloy made up of zirconium, nickel copper, titanium, and a few other metals.

While some sources are suggesting that this will make the metal smooth yet incredibly strong, the truth of the matter is Apple has been using Liquidmetal for some time.

If you’ve owned an iPhone or iPad, you’ve actually been given a piece of Liquidmetal: the little SIM and microSIM tray opener that Apple packs into boxes is made from this metal.

Apple is expected to shift to a metal design partly because of the durability issues currently faced by Apple customers. We’ve all probably seen the evidence of a glass front and back construction, thanks to the broken and shattered iPhones seen practically everywhere.

A shift to Liquidmetal could do away with this, while also strengthening the body considerably.

At the moment, rumours are suggesting an October release date, but truthfully, nobody really knows. Up until last year, Apple had previously announced new iPhones in June, suggesting that either month – June or October – is likely.