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Apple patent granted today may solve the mystery of company’s plans for liquid metal

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<p>When Apple signed an exclusive deal to use the superstrong alloy liquidmetal way <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2010/08/09/apple-obtains-rights-to-liquidmetal-patents/" target="_blank">back in 2010[/url], there was a lot of speculation about how Apple might use it. The only immediate answer we saw was in the <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2012/06/04/liquidmetal-technologies-ceo-confirms-upcoming-parts-in-apple-consumer-products-video/" target="_blank">SIM ejection tool[/url] supplied with iPhones.</p>
<p>While some had expected Apple to use liquidmetal for product casings, the <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/07/17/appleliquidmetal-patent-hints-at-high-volume-production-capabilities/" target="_blank">high cost[/url] of the material seemed to rule that out, at least in the <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2012/05/02/inventor-says-apple-several-years-away-from-large-liquidmetal-projects/" target="_blank">short-term[/url]. There’s also been no sign of the super <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2011/01/05/apple-using-liquidmetal-alloys-in-future-batteries-report/" target="_blank">long-lasting batteries[/url] some had suggested.</p>
<p>But Apple clearly does have a use for it beyond SIM eject tools, <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2015/06/23/apple-liquidmetal-rights/" target="_blank">last year renewing[/url] those exclusive rights – and a patent granted to the company today suggests one possible reason why …</p>
<p> <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2016/03/08/liquidmetal-patent/#more-422067" class="more-link">more…[/url]</p>
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