It's likely that Apple is ready to introdue the new quad-core rather than use the in the new iPad. Mostly because the ) seems specifically designed to power a Retina display iPad, and would have little effect on the new iPhone. If the iPhone 5 has a faster processor it will probably be powered by a and designed using a new 28nm process (it'll be one of the first chips in existence at 28nm - the smaller specification enables more transisters to be packed into the same space, enabling smaller and more power efficient devices, or faster CPUs in the same space). The clock speed is likely to be modest, between 1-1.5GHz (up from the 800Mhz to 1GHz of the new iPad). Although we think Apple may veer on the side of caution here. Apple has consistently upped the processing speed of the iPhone in order for it to introduce new features like multi-tasking, video recording, and Siri as well as power better and more feature-packed apps like .

The very name conjures up a new slick, amorphous technology - perhaps made of water, or waterproof (which the iPhone 5 may be, but it's nothing to do with this). is the commercial name for a new type of alloy that is strong, resistent to corrosion, and has a "" (a posh way of saying it's 'bouncy' - we're not making this up, an experiment with ball bearings found they bounced three times as high on a Liquidmetal plate). Don't expect the iPhone 5 to bounce, but it may be stronger and less-prone to breaking. Dr. Atakan Peker, Liquidmetal's inventor explained: "Liquidmetal is super strong, scratch and corrosion resistant, resilient and can be precision cast into complex shapes. Apple's exclusively licensing a new material technology (specifically for casing and enclosures) is a first in the industry. I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product." (). The alloy has been used in a limited way (some SIM-ejector tools are made from it) but we think eventually Apple will put it to a more comprehensive use.

A mock-up of how a Liquidmetal case could look. Credit: