What is the benefit of using bouncy metal instead of metal?
It depends on the application.
For example, if you're making springs, the advantage is obvious.
For other materials, it changes the relationship between stress and strain which gives engineers an added degree of magnitude. In many cases, it allows for thinner materials because the metal is stronger and less brittle than conventional metals.
I love the fact that with nearly any other company Liquidmetal would be able to say who it was, so we pretty much know who it was since they won't reveal the name.
Not at all. LOTS of companies do not let their suppliers give out their names. In fact, some companies are so strict about it that the supplier risks losing a customer if they tell anyone who is using the product (that's certainly true for several companies I've worked for).
In that case, I guess it's a good thing that I also wrote: "though I might very likely be wrong"
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Second, market orders are not possible with many brokers for share price below $1. Mine would not accept it.
That's interesting, I didn't know that. I've never messed with any penny stocks before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
Third, "market orders are quicker" is misleading. If there is an offer out there matched by my limit order, the trades would execute at the same speed. The only way the market order is faster is if I have to wait for someone to sell at my price - which leads to....
Third, "market orders are better" is very often wrong. For volatile stocks, you almost always pay more for a market order (often MUCH more). If the stock is bouncing around, you could easily pay a significant percentage premium with a market order.
I'm looking to buy some AAPL today if conditions are right, and I guess I'll be using a limit order.
What is the benefit of using bouncy metal instead of metal?
glassy metallics are pretty hard. Think way more scratch resistant than Aluminum. Also, you can, in theory, thermoform them, which could save a lot of money compared to the machining they do now.
I still think that it is unlikely they could produce anything but very small and specialized parts for the ipads internal components. Liquidmetal is expensive and not something you are going to be able to produce in bulk like Aluminum.
So does black anodized aluminium before you anodize it.
If, saying if, Apple would use Liquid metal to use for an iPad, there is probably no way they can get the same silver surface as the glass blasted anodized aluminium.
One surface treatment could probably be kind of flat black, like in the invite rendering.
So does black anodized aluminum before you anodize it.
Does it? Do you put the color on before the anodization? Because I have an anodized aluminum Mac Pro sitting here that doesn't look too black.
Quote:
If, saying if, Apple would use Liquid metal to use for an iPad, there is probably no way they can get the same silver surface as the glass blasted anodized aluminium.
If I read correctly, LQMT said that Apple has a fully paid worldwide Exclusive license to commercialize this technology in the Electronics space.
And if I understand this correctly, Apple need not pay LQMT any more for using this technology - because it is already fully paid up.
In all likelihood, today's Apple annoucement will not make any money for the company - it will only increase the profile of the company and make them more attractive for other industries.
Might not be a bad idea to take some profits off the table if you got in early!
Touch feedback. The iPad will give a click-like tactile response to "clicking" buttons. Liquidmetal will be part of the high-efficiency mechanism that will deliver the sensation to your finger tips. Using a softer metal would absorb too much energy to be battery-friendly.
What is the benefit of using bouncy metal instead of metal?
That bouncy ball demo was originally used when liquidmetal was advertising their driver golf clubs. It was meant to give the impression that a liquidmetal driver would be able to hit the ball farther than a titanium driver. A friend of mine had one, and it was a piece of crap. I hope the parts Apple has manufactured are engineered and function much better than liquidmetal's golf clubs.
If I read correctly, LQMT said that Apple has a fully paid worldwide Exclusive license to commercialize this technology in the Electronics space.
And if I understand this correctly, Apple need not pay LQMT any more for using this technology - because it is already fully paid up.
In all likelihood, today's Apple annoucement will not make any money for the company - it will only increase the profile of the company and make them more attractive for other industries.
Might not be a bad idea to take some profits off the table if you got in early!
It really drives me crazy when people who don't understand business keep posting drivel.
Apple has a paid up LICENSE. That means they don't have to pay any more license fees. But who's going to make the product? Obviously, not Apple. Apple still has to buy the product from LQMT, so LQMT would see significant revenues (and, likely, profits) if Apple starts using the product in quantity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jd_in_sb
If the iPad 3 does use Liquid Metal then President and CEO Tom Steipp should be punished for leaking secrets ahead of the Apple announcement.
What secret did they leak? Certainly nothing about Apple.
It really drives me crazy when people who don't understand business keep posting drivel.
Apple has a paid up LICENSE. That means they don't have to pay any more license fees. But who's going to make the product? Obviously, not Apple. Apple still has to buy the product from LQMT, so LQMT would see significant revenues (and, likely, profits) if Apple starts using the product in quantity.
What makes you think that this cannot be done for Apple by Foxconn? This formula itself is not a secret - just that LQMT needs to be paid royalties for using the formula. If Apple has already paid LQMT for perpetual rights, why can't Apple use the formula and have someone like Foxconn make this for them? Where does LQMT make money in such a scenario?
If Foxconn can do unibody machining for Aluminium, this should be a lot easier technologically.
And more importantly, do you really think LQMT has the scale and the resources to satisfy Apple's demands, if Apple starts using this product on a serious scale?
I look at LQMT kind of like a fabless semiconductor design company - they perfect the design, and then let others take care of the grunt work.
And while you are at this, go read up LiquidMetal on Wikipedia. All the formulae for various options are listed there. The science behind this is also there. And do read up about how LiquidMetal can actually be cast and is still strong, stable and has better finish - whereas other metals cannot be cast without a lot of post-processing and finishing to make them usable. Now, consider the unibody Mac. If Apple can cast LiquidMetal to do this, as opposed to machining solid blocks of Aluminium, their overall costs would be much lower - even if Aluminium blocks are lot cheaper than LiquidMetal (because casting is a much cheaper process than machining - making the moulds is the most expensive part of the process - and since Apple makes those in bulk, even that would be cheap for Apple). I would be willing to bet that Johnny Ive's next innovation would be using cast LiquidMetal instead of machined unibody Aluminium.
Comments
What is the benefit of using bouncy metal instead of metal?
It depends on the application.
For example, if you're making springs, the advantage is obvious.
For other materials, it changes the relationship between stress and strain which gives engineers an added degree of magnitude. In many cases, it allows for thinner materials because the metal is stronger and less brittle than conventional metals.
I thought of that just a couple minutes ago .....
As a general rule, it's a good idea to do the thinking before you post.
I love the fact that with nearly any other company Liquidmetal would be able to say who it was, so we pretty much know who it was since they won't reveal the name.
Not at all. LOTS of companies do not let their suppliers give out their names. In fact, some companies are so strict about it that the supplier risks losing a customer if they tell anyone who is using the product (that's certainly true for several companies I've worked for).
As a general rule, it's a good idea to do the thinking before you post.
Good suggestion, and one we all should follow don't you think?
Wrong on virtually all accounts.
In that case, I guess it's a good thing that I also wrote: "though I might very likely be wrong"
Second, market orders are not possible with many brokers for share price below $1. Mine would not accept it.
That's interesting, I didn't know that. I've never messed with any penny stocks before.
Third, "market orders are quicker" is misleading. If there is an offer out there matched by my limit order, the trades would execute at the same speed. The only way the market order is faster is if I have to wait for someone to sell at my price - which leads to....
Third, "market orders are better" is very often wrong. For volatile stocks, you almost always pay more for a market order (often MUCH more). If the stock is bouncing around, you could easily pay a significant percentage premium with a market order.
I'm looking to buy some AAPL today if conditions are right, and I guess I'll be using a limit order.
I'm not sure if I want my ipad to bounce that many times
+1
Just think how far you could skip one across a pond!
What is the benefit of using bouncy metal instead of metal?
glassy metallics are pretty hard. Think way more scratch resistant than Aluminum. Also, you can, in theory, thermoform them, which could save a lot of money compared to the machining they do now.
I still think that it is unlikely they could produce anything but very small and specialized parts for the ipads internal components. Liquidmetal is expensive and not something you are going to be able to produce in bulk like Aluminum.
Looks pretty darn silver to me.
So does black anodized aluminium before you anodize it.
If, saying if, Apple would use Liquid metal to use for an iPad, there is probably no way they can get the same silver surface as the glass blasted anodized aluminium.
One surface treatment could probably be kind of flat black, like in the invite rendering.
So does black anodized aluminum before you anodize it.
Does it? Do you put the color on before the anodization? Because I have an anodized aluminum Mac Pro sitting here that doesn't look too black.
If, saying if, Apple would use Liquid metal to use for an iPad, there is probably no way they can get the same silver surface as the glass blasted anodized aluminium.
You underestimate Apple.
And if I understand this correctly, Apple need not pay LQMT any more for using this technology - because it is already fully paid up.
In all likelihood, today's Apple annoucement will not make any money for the company - it will only increase the profile of the company and make them more attractive for other industries.
Might not be a bad idea to take some profits off the table if you got in early!
Could the extreme bounciness somehow be used to make a better battery?
Every time you drop your iPad, a kinetic energy generator kicks in and charges the battery a little!
What is the benefit of using bouncy metal instead of metal?
That bouncy ball demo was originally used when liquidmetal was advertising their driver golf clubs. It was meant to give the impression that a liquidmetal driver would be able to hit the ball farther than a titanium driver. A friend of mine had one, and it was a piece of crap. I hope the parts Apple has manufactured are engineered and function much better than liquidmetal's golf clubs.
If I read correctly, LQMT said that Apple has a fully paid worldwide Exclusive license to commercialize this technology in the Electronics space.
And if I understand this correctly, Apple need not pay LQMT any more for using this technology - because it is already fully paid up.
In all likelihood, today's Apple annoucement will not make any money for the company - it will only increase the profile of the company and make them more attractive for other industries.
Might not be a bad idea to take some profits off the table if you got in early!
It really drives me crazy when people who don't understand business keep posting drivel.
Apple has a paid up LICENSE. That means they don't have to pay any more license fees. But who's going to make the product? Obviously, not Apple. Apple still has to buy the product from LQMT, so LQMT would see significant revenues (and, likely, profits) if Apple starts using the product in quantity.
If the iPad 3 does use Liquid Metal then President and CEO Tom Steipp should be punished for leaking secrets ahead of the Apple announcement.
What secret did they leak? Certainly nothing about Apple.
It really drives me crazy when people who don't understand business keep posting drivel.
Apple has a paid up LICENSE. That means they don't have to pay any more license fees. But who's going to make the product? Obviously, not Apple. Apple still has to buy the product from LQMT, so LQMT would see significant revenues (and, likely, profits) if Apple starts using the product in quantity.
What makes you think that this cannot be done for Apple by Foxconn? This formula itself is not a secret - just that LQMT needs to be paid royalties for using the formula. If Apple has already paid LQMT for perpetual rights, why can't Apple use the formula and have someone like Foxconn make this for them? Where does LQMT make money in such a scenario?
If Foxconn can do unibody machining for Aluminium, this should be a lot easier technologically.
And more importantly, do you really think LQMT has the scale and the resources to satisfy Apple's demands, if Apple starts using this product on a serious scale?
I look at LQMT kind of like a fabless semiconductor design company - they perfect the design, and then let others take care of the grunt work.
And while you are at this, go read up LiquidMetal on Wikipedia. All the formulae for various options are listed there. The science behind this is also there. And do read up about how LiquidMetal can actually be cast and is still strong, stable and has better finish - whereas other metals cannot be cast without a lot of post-processing and finishing to make them usable. Now, consider the unibody Mac. If Apple can cast LiquidMetal to do this, as opposed to machining solid blocks of Aluminium, their overall costs would be much lower - even if Aluminium blocks are lot cheaper than LiquidMetal (because casting is a much cheaper process than machining - making the moulds is the most expensive part of the process - and since Apple makes those in bulk, even that would be cheap for Apple). I would be willing to bet that Johnny Ive's next innovation would be using cast LiquidMetal instead of machined unibody Aluminium.