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Titanium iPads Could Fix Bending—at a Cost

Apple’s last fling with titanium didn’t end well

By Charlie Sorrel Charlie Sorrel Senior Tech Reporter Charlie Sorrel has been writing about technology, and its effects on society and the planet, for 13 years. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 25, 2021 01:42PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Computers Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming

Key Takeaways

Apple may be working on a titanium iPad.Titanium can be much stiffer and harder than aluminum, but also heavier and more brittle.Apple’s last titanium computer was 1992’s PowerBook G4. Lifewire / Charlie Sorrel Would you trade a bendy iPad for an iPad that collected grubby fingerprints? According to a supply-chain report, Apple may be working on a titanium iPad, which could be stiffer and more durable than its aluminum models. Titanium certainly sounds cool and offers some properties that aluminum can never match, but it also has some significant downsides. "Titanium is definitely stronger than stainless steel and aluminum and will be way more resistant to scratches," tech consultant and CEO of gaming computer maker WePC Kaitlyn Rayment told Lifewire via email. "However titanium isn't very resistant to oily dirty fingerprints. Reports have been saying that Apple has been researching thin oxide surface coating to reduce its effects."

Aluminum Expert

Apple is a master of aluminum. If it uses metal to build a product, that metal is almost always aluminum. All the Macs, the iPad, and the non-Pro iPhone, AirPods Max, even the keyboards and trackpads are aluminum of some kind. Over the years, Apple has gotten really good at using it. Apple mills its aluminum bodies from solid billets of alloy. These "unibody" shells are stiff and light and manage to do a great job—most of the time.
raneko / flickr Pick up a modern MacBook Air by one corner, and you’ll feel no flex. Ditto the iPhone. But be careful with the iPad Pro, especially if you have the 12.9-inch version. This is still Apple’s slimmest computer, and it is also—in my somewhat scary experience—the bendiest. Don’t cram one into a backpack without first putting it inside the almost-unbendable Magic Keyboard case, or you eventually will regret it.

Alloy

Aluminum and titanium are seldom used neat. They are baked into alloys that offer different properties. Titanium alloys can be used for super-flexible materials that spring back over and over—for instance, a pair of titanium eyeglasses. And it can also be used to make incredibly stiff components. A titanium plate inserted into a broken leg needs to be flex-free to keep your bones in place. Apple would presumably opt for a stiff alloy. This would mitigate or even cure the problem of bendy iPads. The hard metal also would resist deforming when dropped on a corner. But these advantages come at a cost.

Hard Work

Titanium has several disadvantages when compared to aluminum. One is that it's harder to work. Forget milling it from a single block, for example. Apple would have to change its production techniques, although it’s pretty good at designing those, too. Sorin Gheorghita / Unsplash Another drawback is weight. Titanium is heavier than aluminum. Some of this could be offset by making the shell thinner, but that may or may not bring its own problems. Also, titanium is a fingerprint magnet. Those prints show up like CSI has been all over your gear, only instead of using fingerprint dust, they slather on grease. This can happen after the titanium has been anodized, which is what Apple does to its aluminum devices to finish them. And titanium is also a poor conductor of heat. Pure aluminum has a thermal conductivity of 235 W/m K. Titanium has just 22 W/m K. In practice, these problems are solvable, especially by Apple, which is an often-unacknowledged materials expert. And don’t forget, Apple has already made a titanium laptop, which was something of a beloved disaster.

Past Experience

Apple’s Titanium PowerBook G4 was launched in 1992. It was the first of the modern era of Mac notebooks, a squared-off metal box, a big change from the curvy black plastic powerbooks before it. But it had problems. The alloy used was brittle, and the hinges would snap off. Waleed Alzuhair / flickr "My daughter, who was a toddler at the time, grabbed the top of my Titanium PowerBook G4 one day and snapped it clean off," writes veteran Apple journalist Jason Snell. To mitigate the fingerprint issue, Apple painted the titanium silver, and the paint flaked off. This time, Apple is more likely to get things right. It might mean a redesign of the iPad, but we’re unlikely to get flaking paint and snap-off corners. In fact, Apple already has patented a method for finishing titanium that gives it a textured, blasted surface that can be polished to a shine. The patented method promises to circumvent the difficulties of etching titanium using a new process. Despite these drawbacks, the result may be worth it. When you pick up your $1,600 iPad Pro and see that it has bent in normal use, it’s not a good feeling. If titanium can fix that, I’m all in. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire What's the Point of Apple's iPad Smart Home Docking Accessory? Apple Watch: Everything You Need to Know Apple Seems a Little Confused About Its New, More Expensive iPad Lineup How to Fix It When Apple Pencil Isn't Working New iPad Pro 2022: Price, Release Date, Specs, and News Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga Review: A 2-in-1 For ThinkPad Superfans How to Save Your Wet iPad How to Replace a Dead iPad Battery What Is the Newest Generation of the iPad? What Is the iPad Air and How Does it Compare? Compare Every iPad Model Ever Made How to Fix It When an iPad Won't Turn Off The 9 Best iPad Cases of 2022 The 6 Best iPad Stands of 2022, Tested by Lifewire The 9 Best Mice for iPads, Tested by Experts iPad Pro (2021, M1) Review: Desktop Performance in a Tablet Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies