Apple could release titanium iPads in the future, ditching casings made from aluminum alloys.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Titanium is much stronger and more durable than aluminum
- The material is also more resistant to scratches and dings
- Titanium withstands bending better than aluminum
- Apple in the past used titanium alloys for casings
Who’s ready for a stronger, lighter titanium iPad?
“The sources also revealed that Apple is considering equipping iPads with titanium-based metal chassis, but the high costs for doing so may not be economical at the moment,” according to a new report from supply chain publication DigiTimes.
The only Apple product currently using a titanium chassis is the flagship Apple Watch Edition.
Titanium is known for having tougher strength and durability than aluminum-based alloys Apple currently uses. It’s also more scratch-resistant and withstands bending better than aluminum.
→ How to change the computer name of your Mac
Given that DigiTimes is a hit-and-miss publication, you’re wholeheartedly recommended to take this rumor with a few pinches of salt. That being said, though, Apple did use titanium alloys for product casings in the past.
Perhaps the most famous example of Apple’s application of titanium alloys is the PowerBook G4 Titanium notebook models from 2003. One of the iDB staff members owned one of these notebooks: They have nothing but praise for the notebook’s strong, durable titanium chassis.
It’s part of a broader switch to titanium casings
If DigiTimes is correct, Apple may be ready to make a switch to titanium for all its aluminum-based product casings, not just for iPads. Indeed, a recent investor report by JP Morgan Chase predicted that the tentatively named iPhone 14 Pro Max, coming in 2022, would ditch the aluminum chassis design used in current models for a titanium-based one.
All in all, it seems like titanium notebooks from Apple may be in the cards, too. According to the company’s patent grant titled “Titanium parts having a blasted surface texture”, published by USPTO in January 2021, Apple could adopt various processes to give a titanium enclosure a textured appearance “that both diffusely and specularly reflects visible light”.
Such casings could be used for future iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and MacBooks.