Business Insider interviewed Atakan Peker, one of the inventors of the Liquidmetal alloy, which Apple has licensed to use in electronic gadgets and is rumored to be one of the main components in upcoming iPhone 5. However, in the interview Peker says put cold water on all the Liquidmetal iPhone 5 rumors by saying that “Apple will likely spend on the order of $300 million to $500 million – and three to five years – to mature the technology before it can used in large scale.”

Here are some of the main points from Peker’s interview:

• Liquidmetal looks great, yet is incredibly strong and durable.
• Apple has exclusive rights to use Liquidmetal in gadgets.
• It could be a few more years before Apple can make a Liquidmetal MacBook.
• Apple will likely wait to use Liquidmetal in a "breakthrough product."

Atakan completed the interview by saying “I expect Liquidmetal application in two ways: First evolutionary substitution of current materials and secondly, and more importantly, in a breakthrough product made only possible by Liquidmetal technology. Apple’s exclusively licensing a new material technology (specifically for casing and enclosures) is a first in the industry. This is very exciting. Therefore, I expect Apple to use this technology in a breakthrough product. Such product will likely bring an innovative user interface and industrial design together, and will also be very difficult to copy or duplicate with other material technologies.”