An SEC filing just hit that shows that Apple Inc. struck a deal with Liquidmetal Technologies, a California-based company that holds patents on new metal and alloy designs, for essentially access to all of its intellectual property.

Perhaps in the near future, we can expect our iPhones, iPads, and iPods to be made of these new "amorphous" metals that Liquidmetal specializes in.

According to its Website, Liquidmetal is a "leading force in the research, development and commercialization of amorphous metals. [Its] revolutionary class of patented alloys and coatings form the basis of high performance material utilized in a range of military, consumer and industrial products manufactured by Liquidmetal Technologies."

The new metals that Liquidmetal develops offer several benefits in strength, hardness, elasticity, corrosion- and wear-resistance, and acoustical properties.

Here's the info straight from the 8K that Liquidmetal filed with the SEC (thanks to Jay Rickey of Citybizlist for sending this to me.)

On August 5, 2010, Liquidmetal Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Liquidmetal”), entered into a Master Transaction Agreement with Apple Inc., a California corporation (“Apple”), pursuant to which (i) Liquidmetal contributed substantially all of its intellectual property assets to a newly organized special-purpose, wholly-owned subsidiary (the “IP Company”), (ii) the IP Company granted to Apple a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in the field of consumer electronic products in exchange for a license fee, and (iii) the IP Company granted back to Liquidmetal a perpetual, worldwide, fully-paid, exclusive license to commercialize such intellectual property in all other fields of use (together with all ancillary agreements, the “Master Transaction Agreement”).