Liquidmetal created SIM ejector tool for Apple's iPhone, iPad

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  • Reply 61 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dlux View Post


    I've got two of them, one of which I still use for road trips, and there's nothing wrong with the cases. And these things have been knocked around. Perhaps you got a bad unit (or I somehow got two really good ones)?



    I seriously doubt the titanium itself cracked. The paint peeled like a Pinto in Bakersfield and the plastic frame cracked like a waterboarded journalist (people do know the outer frame is plastic, right?) but the titanium dents. It doesn't crack.
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  • Reply 62 of 67
    meelashmeelash Posts: 1,045member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    I seriously doubt the titanium itself cracked. The paint peeled like a Pinto in Bakersfield and the plastic frame cracked like a waterboarded journalist (people do know the outer frame is plastic, right?) but the titanium dents. It doesn't crack.



    ahh, this reminds me of my beloved 12" PB G4. I dropped it, not once, not twice, but three times from >3ft off the desk onto a tiled floor (accidentally, obviously). The corners have some serious dents in them, but every time it just started right back up again. /randomThought®
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  • Reply 63 of 67
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    I seriously doubt the titanium itself cracked. The paint peeled like a Pinto in Bakersfield and the plastic frame cracked like a waterboarded journalist (people do know the outer frame is plastic, right?) but the titanium dents. It doesn't crack.



    I am under the impression that Titanium, while lightweight and strong, isn?t malleable like Aluminium and steel, but brittle resulting in micro-fracturers that eventually lead to severe cracks when torque is repeated applied.
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  • Reply 64 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I am under the impression that Titanium, while lightweight and strong, isn?t malleable like Aluminium and steel, but brittle resulting in micro-fracturers that eventually lead to severe cracks when torque is repeated applied.



    Nah... trust me... the titanium Powerbooks dent easily and the titanium bends. It's not brittle. The plastic rim was brittle.
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  • Reply 65 of 67
    The one I tested from a 3GS certainly wasn't.

    Chemical composition was:



    Fe (68%)

    Cr (18%)

    Ni (8%)

    O (3%)

    C (1%)

    N (1%)

    Si (1%)



    i.e. it's 18/8 Steel.



    For an amorphous metal you'd expect Beryllium and Zirconium in significant quantities.
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  • Reply 66 of 67
    robin huberrobin huber Posts: 4,068member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by amorphous View Post


    The one I tested from a 3GS certainly wasn't.

    Chemical composition was:



    Fe (68%)

    Cr (18%)

    Ni (8%)

    O (3%)

    C (1%)

    N (1%)

    Si (1%)



    i.e. it's 18/8 Steel.



    For an amorphous metal you'd expect Beryllium and Zirconium in significant quantities.



    Maybe you missed this: it's has already been established that the material in question was only used on only some 3G iPhones, and of those, only in the U.S. Never on 3GS model.
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  • Reply 67 of 67
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Liquidmetal, the maker of a super-strong metal alloy that recently signed an exclusive deal with Apple, already partnered with the Cupertino, Calif., company to create the materials for the SIM ejector tool that has shipped with the iPhone and 3G iPad.



    Atakan Peker, co-creator of the Liquidmetal alloy, told Cult of Mac that he recognized the metal when he opened his iPhone 3G years ago. The site also independently confirmed the use of the alloy as a test of the company's manufacturing capabilities.



    In addition, people familiar with the matter also informed AppleInsider that the SIM ejector tool found in previous-generation iPhones was made of the alloy from Liquidmetal. In the U.S., the iPhone 4 does not ship with the SIM ejector tool.



    "That's my metal," Peker reportedly said. "I recognized it immediately. Take it from an expert, that's Liquidmetal." He added that the alloy is "practically unbendable by hand unless you want to hurt or cut your fingers."



    Peker is co-inventor of Liquidmetal, an alloy created at the California Institute of Technology. Last week, AppleInsider revealed that Apple had entered into an exclusive agreement with Liquidmetal Technologies, the corporation that owns the invention.



    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.



    iPhone 3G SIM card ejector tool. Photo via Flickr user Jamie McCall.



    Liquidmetal Technologies has granted all of its intellectual property assets to Apple, under a worldwide agreement that gives Apple the exclusive rights to use the alloy in electronic products. Liquidmetal is still allowed to license its alloy to other companies for use outside of markets where Apple competes.



    The deal between Apple and Liquidmetal is believed to be worth at least $10.9 million, as the metal maker announced last week that its deal with Apple allowed it to immediately pay off that much in debt. The debt payments were made Aug. 5, the very same day that Apple and Liquidmetal entered into their agreement.



    Thanks you for the post.
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