Forbes recently spotted a patent filed by Apple, named “Electronic Devices with Textured Zirconia Componentsâ€. The document explains how the body of the Apple Watch and iPhone can use zirconium dioxide, also called zirconia (not to be confused with zircon) and used in the design of ceramics.
Zirconium material in future iPhone and Apple Watch?
Used in the manufacture of dental crowns, joint implants and even as a substitute for diamonds in jewelry, this material ticks almost all the boxes when it comes to the needs of the electronics industry: lightweight, extremely strong, durable, and corrosion resistant. Its particularly high price is the only problem, but it could be circumvented simply - as the patent suggests - by using zirconium dioxide as an alloy compound and not as a single element. Thus, the component could be mixed with the aluminum or steel used today, to make them more resistant.