The highly anticipated iPhone 5, which is expected to be released this year, is turning out to be device, which sci-fi writers dream of. Different rumors are hitting the online world with notions of their own, including the transparent iPhone 5 concept. And now the latest buzz is that Apple will ditch the glass back, which we've come to see in iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, in favor of Liquidmetal alloy.

In 2010, the tech giant acquired rights to use the patented Liquidmetal alloy in its devices. Korea IT News claimed on Wednesday that this material will be used by Apple in its sixth generation iPhone. The Web site claims to have received this information from its industrial sources.

Liquidmetal is the commercial name given to the alloy, which may make the surface of phone "smooth like liquid." It is composed of Nickel, Copper, Titanium, Zirconium and other metals. Liquidmetal was discovered by California Institute of Technology in 1992. Also described as "basically metallic glass", Liquidmetal has high strength and high wear resistant properties. The material is light and being rigid, it can perform 10 times better than iPhone 4S glass back in its resistance against scratches and dents.

In March 2010, Liquidmetal Technologies - the company behind this material revealed that Apple spent $10 million in getting rights to use Liquidmetal in consumer electronics. Incidentally, Apple has been using liquid metal in its SIM card ejector tool included with iPhones and iPads.

Korea IT News also indicated that Apple will reveal iPhone 5 at World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) going to be held in San Francisco in June. WWDC had been a launch ground for Apple, where the tech giant has been releasing its smartphones. But the Cupertino tech giant abandoned WWDC ground last year and chose to release iPhone 4S in fall.

Apple products are well-renown for standing out of crowd. And Liquidmetal back can keep Apple on the same track. But the reliability of this rumor is questionable. It is not the first time that we have heard about Liquidmetal back in iPhone. So we suggest you to take this rumor with a pinch of salt.

(reported by Johnny Wills, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)