Apple's first Liquidmetal product revealed
That's right ladies and gentlemen, the above image is a SIM ejector tool that was first included with the iPhone 3G and later with the iPhone 3GS and according to Cult of Mac it is indeed made out of Liquidmetal. Yes, this is the exact same Liquidmetal that Apple recently licensed the intellectual property of just last week. And in case you were wondering exactly what is Liquidmetal - it's a very hard metal alloy, basically unbendable, and has a distinctive color and feel.
Cult of Mac spoke to the co-inventor of this new metal alloy, Atakan Peker, and he noticed Apple was using his metal the moment he opened up his iPhone 3G.
“That’s my metal,” he said. “I recognized it immediately. Take it from an expert, that’s Liquidmetal.”
Cult of Mac wanted to be 100% sure about this so they went ahead and independently verified that Apple did in fact use Liquidmetal that was sourced from Liquidmetal Technologies. The length of time Apple sourced Liquidmetal for SIM ejector pins is unknown as the SIM ejector tools that shipped with European iPhones were made from regular steel that can be bent with ease. If you purchased a iPhone 4 and wondering where you Liquidmetal SIM ejector tool is, Apple did not one include one this time around.
| Tweet |
|
|
← Previously
iPhone owners really getting more sex?Leave a Reply
Note: Comments must be civil, respectful, and on-topic. If a comment does not add to the conversation, if it contains spam advertising, or inappropriate language or content, it will be removed. Insulting the topic, author, staff, site, network, or other commenters will result in the comment being marked as spam and potential prevent future comments from appearing on the site. Do not post as a business or your comment will likely be confused with spam. Comments containing links may be held for moderation. Relax, enjoy, and share in the discussion.
Oooh aaah...
I'm confused, cause both my iPhone 4's came with a SIM tool. Or did you mean it didn't come with a Liquidmetal one?
Rick, are you in the US? iPhone 4's in the US did not come with a SIM ejector tool. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I've opened 4 of them and not a single one came with the tool.
WTH? I have never received a sim ejector tool!
I'm in the UK and my 4 did come with an ejector tool. Now you've made me want to go and try and bend it!
I got one in Canada. Would it be liquidmetal?
Unbendable... Maybe after a certain thickness but not the SIM removal tool which is bendable. Your correc Jerermy, the iPhone 4 doesn't come with one but there are people and unboxing videos claiming to include it.
I am in Canada and my iPhone 4 did in fact come with one of those.
I'm in US and I want my iPhone liquid metal SIM tool!!! Oh, thx for the case BTW Apple.
Came with my 64gb iPad 3G
I should make it clear they claim they are basically unbendable with the bare hands. Just throwing that out there. Sorry for any confusion.
ummm, the article clearly states "...a SIM ejector tool that was first included with the iPhone 3G and later with the iPhone 3GS".
Yeah, Canadian iPhone 4s include them. My 3G's SIM tool was certainly bendable, though...
Well, that just sucks. US iPhone 4 owners don't get the SIM removal tool but the rest of the world does. WTH!
We here in the US probably didn't get a SIM ejector tool because SIM only works on 1 phone, on 1 carrier. There really isn't any need to remove it.
Bought my iPhone 4 in Canada, and IT DID COME WITH a LiquidMetal Sim Tool.
apple acquired liquidmetal just last week, so if you got an international iPhone 4, it would still be pretty doubtful that they shipped with liquidmetal sim ejectors, right?
Yes, I am in Canada. Weird that US did not get one, yet they did for the other models.
I got a sim tool with my iPhone 4 in the UK
Dito for Germany - got the tool in two out of two boxes.
Jeremy you are 100% correct that in the USA the iPhone 4 did not come with a sim removal tool. That is according to Apple and those that did receive one; it was a factory mistake. And to correct one of your readers, there are times when we might gave to remove the sim card such as troubleshooting issues. Apple does sell the tool for MSRP $13.00 USD. For those of us that have had to already replace the iPhone 4 with Apple's advance exchange (Apple FedEx's a phone to your home which takes about 5 business days) receives a sim card removal tool for free. We can also just use a paper clip to remove the sim card.
I tried bending the one that came with the 3GS. It's not easy with bare hands which is odd because the metal is not that thick in any direction. Interesting.
Rearden Metal FTW
Australian iPhone 4 came with ejector tool. We didn't get the "death grip" tho, so I guess that balances out.
Came with my 3G. Wow, this thing is very impressive. Very thin yet, as they claimed, virtually unable to yield. It bends, but springs immediately back to shape, straight as an arrow after you let it go.
I just pulled mine out of my old 3G box and it bent easily. Maybe it's because I play football
How come the one that came with my US 3GS bends quite easily?
--- with my bare hands too.
I got a tool in Canada
I noticed that the tool that came with my 3GS and iPad where different (here in Australia)...... the 3GS one had a sharp feel to the edges, and the iPad one has a smooth rounded feel...... I think i also notices some small text on one edge....... might check it out.......
I noticed the tool that came with my iPad and it was different.