A new photo of the purported manual of iPhone 5C suggests that polycarbonate iPhone will feature Liquidmetal. Before you start shouting for joy, it’s likely that only the SIM card ejector pin will be made of this alloy.
The use of Liquidmetal to build the SIM Card ejector pin was first uncovered in 2010 by Cult of Mac. Atakan Peker, the Liquidmetal alloy’s co-inventor, informed the tech blog that he was certain that his invention was used to make the product.
The amorphous, non-crystalline material is 2.5 times the strength of commonly used titanium alloy and 1.5 times the hardness of stainless steel found in portable electronic devices. Introduced for commercial applications in 2003, the product has since been found in medical equipment, sporting goods, and equipment used by the U.S. Department of Defense.
According to the report, “Peker recognized the metal when he opened his iPhone 3G. It’s as hard as nails and has a distinctive color and feel.”
“That’s my metal,” he said. “I recognized it immediately. Take it from an expert, that’s Liquidmetal.”
What is also interesting, Apple reportedly stopped shipping iPhones with the SIM card ejector after the launch of the iPhone 4. Coincidentally, this was the first iPhone with a metal and glass back enclosure. And the launch of the iPhone 5C, will be the first iPhone since the iPhone 3GS to feature a plastic back housing.
