Apple has gained an exclusive license to Liquidmetal for consumer electronics. Liquidmetal Technologies will still be able to sell to other sectors, just not consumer electronics according to The Baltimore Sun.
The technology itself is pretty interesting. I have a SanDisk Cruzer Titanium I purchased back in 2006. Despite being used pretty much every day and being thrown around constantly, it’s 100% intact with a few very superficial blemishes on its finish. It’s extremely durable, small and light. I’m sure they’ve had advancements since then that are even better.
I suspect this is not the end of the Aluminum era for Apple products. I think the Liquidmetal licensing will be used mainly for the iPod, iPhone, iPad lineup. Perhaps it will extend as far as the MacBook Air. That’s where Apple is really in need of stronger lighter materials. I suspect the cost of Liquid Metal for a 15-17″ MacBook Pro just wouldn’t make sense. Same goes for the Mac Pro.