As rumors about Apple switching to the all-new metallic glass material for a next-generation iPhone continue to persist, one designer has weighed in with own rendition of what the device might look like, both from the inside and the outside – and it’s quite noteworthy.
As you know, Apple obtained a worldwide exclusive license to use Liquidmetal alloy in consumer electronics products. With previous rumors alleging a complete redesign, a Liquidmetal-based iPhone is certainly a plausible proposition…
French designer Antoine Brieux has gone all out creating these gorgeous sixth-generation Liquidmetal iPhone shots, available on his blog.
The use of the new metallic glass alloy would let Apple create a stronger, lighter and thinner iPhone, with a body just 7.9mm thin (versus the 9.3mm profile of the current iPhone 4S).
Gone is the physical home button (though a recent leak hinted otherwise) as Brieux envisions a virtual home button sitting at the screen bottom.
The concept calls for a large 4.5-inch widescreen display that could, however, create issues with third-party apps.
Here’s a shot depicting the Angry Birds on a widescreen Liquidmetal iPhone.
And another one showing a tweaked bezel running around the sides of the device.
Here’s another angle. Notice the virtual home button occupying the extra space gained by blowing up the iPhone’s 3:2 display to a larger 16:9 widescreen appearance.
And yet another angle. Check out the 3.5mm audio jack in the middle.
As for the innards, Brieux thinks the device will be powered by a quad-core A6 chip.
Do check out the source link for more gorgeous shots. Also useful: our coverage so far on Apple’s use of Liquidmetal alloy.
Is this what a Liquidmetal iPhone could look like?
I think it looks business and certainly shows some hallmarks of Apple’s trademark industrial design.
The question is, would Apple really buck its own trend and blow up the iPhone’s display to a whopping 4.5 inches?
[via Nowhere Else]