iPhone 5 Liquidmetal Design Still Up in the Air

Rumors surfaced last month stating that Apple had planned to use the Liquidmetal amorphous metal alloys it obtained the rights to in 2010 for the next generation iPhone.

However, the use of the material for an Apple product may not come for many years, according to one of Liquidmetal's inventors, Atakan Peker, who recently spoke to Business Insider about the technology.

Peker told the publication that it might be a few years before we see the Liquidmetal used by Apple in a large scale on MacBooks, but he did not rule out the possibility of Apple incorporating it into a special device such as the iPhone.

"Given the size of MacBook and scale of Apple products, I think it's unlikely that Liquidmetal casing will be used in MacBooks in the near term," said Peker to BusinessInsider. "It's more likely in the form of small component such as a hinge or bracket. A MacBook casing, such as a unibody, will take two to four more years to implement."

He also stated that Liquidmetal had not yet been perfected.

"I would not say Liquidmetal was perfected," Peker told Business Insider. "This is a technology that has yet to be matured and perfected both in manufacturing process and application development. I should note that this is a new and different metal technology."

Peker predicted that Apple will spend between $300 million and $500 million and take three to five years to mature the technology before it can be used on a large scale.

He also feels that Liquidmetal will eventually show up on "a breakthrough product made only possible by Liquidmetal technology." And with Apple's exclusive licensing of the material for casing and enclosures, it will be the company to release this groundbreaking product.