Apple continues to use aluminum and stainless steel as the preferred metals for its current iPad and iPhone models, but there is a possibility the company switches to titanium alloy in the future, according to a report. There are significant advantages to using this material, with some drawbacks, as you will soon find out.
Apple Avoiding Using Titanium Alloy Due to High Production Costs and Other Setbacks
Apart from reporting that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a titanium alloy chassis, DigiTimes states in the latest update that the technology giant may switch to the same material for mass producing future iPad models. The paywalled report was spotted by MacRumors, who further reports that the company has been exploring the viability of titanium alloy in favor of aluminum and stainless steel due to many reasons.
Firstly, using titanium alloy for future iPad models will make them more durable than current-generation variants. Additionally, future tablet iterations will become more scratch-resistant, not to mention become less prone to bending compared to the current lineup. What Apple offers at this time is also durable, but incorporating titanium alloy may also allow the company to reduce the thickness of its tablets further, adding to their appeal.
Unfortunately, titanium’s increased strength makes the material difficult to etch on, so Apple has reportedly developed a blasting, etching, and chemical process, giving future iPad models a glossy finish to make them more attractive to customers from an aesthetic point of view. The Cupertino tech giant is also researching the use of thin oxide surface coatings that will make those future iPad models less susceptible to oily fingerprints.
Apple has used titanium in its products before. For those that do not know, it employs the material as an optional casing for some of its smartwatch models, and you should not forget that the Apple Card is made of the same finish. However, unless Apple can workaround the disadvantages of titanium alloy, it is unlikely that we will see the material on iPhones and iPads soon.
News Source: DigiTimes
