Apple hunts for manager, engineers to work on new metals
updated 03:05 pm EDT, Tue September 14, 2010
Ultimate purpose of tech remains unknown
Apple is hiring three new people to develop amorphous metal alloys, according to job listings. One position is for a manager, while the other two are engineering openings. AppleInsider notes that the jobs are described as "highly visible," involving composition, molding and forming of the alloys, as well as more mundane tasks like machining, grinding and finishing.
The listings are almost certainly related to Apple's purchase of patent rights from Liquidmetal, a company specializing in amorphous alloys. What Apple might use the technology for is still unclear, particularly as a signature Liquidmetal alloy uses large quantities of platinum, a metal worth about $1,500 per ounce in pure form. To date Apple has only shipped one product based on Liquidmetal's concepts: the SIM ejector pin for the iPhone 3G.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2008
It sounds as if Apple is going into
the aerospace business. Since when is a consumer business concerned with this type of stuff? Most of the companies that will be producing mp3 players and smartphones will be slapping everything together with cheap plastic. Apple is moving into some fairly high-tech business. Is it likely that Apple plans to build equipment for NASA or the military?