Apple is toying with the idea of using titanium to build the next generation of its flagship products. A patent filed by the company titled “Titanium parts having a blasted surface texture” was discovered by Patently Apple. It describes the use of titanium as the main material for the MacBook, the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple Watch.
The use of titanium would mark a major transition for Apple, as the company has been using aluminium for most of its products for over a decade now. The former chief designer Jony Ive talked at length about aluminium in most product videos – explaining the reasons for using it. In a post-Ive era, Apple is yet to make major changes and titanium could be one of the first in a long list of incoming changes.
More durable the aluminium
The patent pertaining to the use of titanium in Apple products, describes the material as more durable than the currently used material – aluminium. It adds that anodized aluminium is currently used in MacBooks and iPads, however it is not as durable as titanium. It continues to add that titanium is “very difficult to etch” and that it is “aesthetically unattractive”. To make titanium more pleasing to look at, the company plans a series of blasting, etching, and chemical processes.
Apple has actually used titanium in the past for some of its products. The PowerBook G4 used titanium during its period starting from 2001 and ending in 2013. However, the product suffered from major issues of brittleness which resulted in the breakage of the case and the paint coating flaking very easily. At present, Apple uses titanium in the Apple Watch Edition and the material is somewhat close to the description written in the new patent.
New redesigned MacBooks are reportedly scheduled to release sometime this year. However, it is highly unlikely that the titanium Macs or any other Apple product will release in the next 1-2 years.
