The most idiotic Apple rumours ever...

[Wentworth]

The MacBook Brick is a block of high-quality, aircraft grade aluminum. It is the beginning.

The beginning of what?

It is the beginning of the new Apple manufacturing process to make MacBooks. It is totally revolutionary, a game changer. One of the biggest Apple innovations in a decade.

The MacBook manufacturing process up to this point has been outsourced to Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers like Foxconn. Now Apple is in charge. The company has spent the last few years building an entirely new manufacturing process that uses lasers and jets of water to carve the MacBooks out of a brick of aluminum.

(Yes, this sounded a bit crazy to us as well. But our source is adamant so bear with us. He says Apple has built a manufacturing process that would make Henry Ford proud.)

This isn't entirely new. Steve Jobs has always had a fondness for having his own plant to produce computers. In 1990, he built a totally automated plant in Fremont California (thanks PED) that could build NeXT machines with only 100 workers. It was a "plant with just about everything: lasers, robots, speed, and remarkably few defects." Unfortunately, the demand wasn't very high at the time. However, Jobs remarked, "I'm as proud of the factory as I am of the computer."

One thing about Steve Jobs is that he seems to always return to his failures and then turn them into successes. That is where our information ends and speculation begins.

What advantages are there to manufacturing with 3D laser and water jet cutting?

* Carving out of aluminum eliminates the need to bend the metal and create weak spots or microfolds and rifts.
* There are no seams in the final product, so it is smooth.
* Screws aren’t needed to tie the products together.
* The shell is one piece of metal so it is super light, super strong and super cheap.
* You can be a whole lot more creative with the design if you don't have to machine it.

As Peter Oppenheimer said at the recent earnings call, this innovation is something "Apple's competitors won't be able to match" for some time to come. We expect the process to drive down the prices of MacBooks over the next few years and at the same time allow Apple to continue to lead in the innovation department. Design changes should come much more rapidly with rapid prototyping.

The newly designed MacBooks are still on target for an October 14th announcement and the press should be getting invites within the next few days. There are still so many questions to be answered. I am sure Steve Jobs will enjoy answering them.

Where does PA Semi fit into this? What about former Segway CTO, Doug Field who was hired as Apple VP of product design a few months ago?

We realize that a lot of people will be skeptical but bear with us for a few weeks. Remember when we said there were going to be aluminum iMacs? Fat nanos? iPod Touch? Slim, MacBook Air? Basically, every major product that Apple has released over the past 15 months. We are putting a lot on the line here for this mother of all rumors...wish us luck

Source: http://9to5mac.com/macbook-brick?page=1


mod edit: turned into a proper quote since you are not the original author

[skitty4gzus]

seriously, does anybody REALLY believe their cases are water jetted or cnc'ed out of a block of aluminum? how ridiculous

[Marin85]

seriously, does anybody REALLY believe their cases are water jetted or cnc'ed out of a block of aluminum? how ridiculous

We don´t know yet for sure. But if they are innovative and crazy enough (which can be expected from Apple , I guess ), why not, time will show. Everything is just a speculation right now

Cheers

Marin

[Wentworth]

the stupidity of this rumor lies in the fact that Apple reportedly can somehow can make the 3D laser and water jet cutting an aluminum ingot much cheaper, than pressing the case out of a single sheet of aluminum.

[mikey pizano]

Haven't high quality aluminum parts for RC cars been CNC milled from billet blocks for years?

[skitty4gzus]

yea they have and they still are, the problem is to cnc a complete cover for a laptop case would take a decent size piece of aluminum and take ALOT longer to produce. there would be so much scrap there it would be completely inefficient to do it that way. These are laptop case covers, not space shuttle components, i cant even believe anybody would entertain the idea that they are machined out of a block of aluminum.

[Marin85]

These are laptop case covers, not space shuttle components, i cant even believe anybody would entertain the idea that they are machined out of a block of aluminum.

Oh, come on people, don´t push me back into reality It was just that funny...

[mikey pizano]

Plus not to mention the fact that you already pay enough for a standard Macbook let alone an aluminum one!

[Marin85]

But they claim that this technology is going to make MacBooks cheaper...

[qviri]

If Apple pays for their aluminium in Icelandic króna, it may well do...

[mikey pizano]

But they claim that this technology is going to make MacBooks cheaper...

NO! PLASTIC is cheaper, not METAL!!! :-p

[Wentworth]

and the funny thing is that most of the people whom replied to the blog actually believed all these baloney.... sad really...

[Marin85]

and the funny thing is that most of the people whom replied to the blog actually believed all these baloney.... sad really...

I don´t remember anyone saying he believes it and I don´t remember anyone saying he doesn´t believe it Did you post it in order to read replies like "What a stupid article!" or "Apple fans are dumb!" ? I believe you would get neither of these answers here!
What you posted was just funny and probably worth a speculation or two, so no one would engage to comment on this in a completely rational way, all the comments would be then probably the same... And last but not least I believe (it´s all about that, right) only in science (and from time to time in God if I am in good mod to do so). I hope this completely clarifies the picture for you as far as I am concerned and as far as I am concerned, you can keep your sadness for yourself!

No bad feelings

Marin

[Wentworth]

You can read the reply on the blog, it is only when later someone came up with a plausible explanation on the implausible nature of what the blogger is describing, did people start to quite down on the whole speculation.

I didn't say Apple fan are dumb, you are saying that yourself.... if you happened to notice i own an Apple Macbook Pro... i wouldn't slap myself in the face by saying that.... i am simply saying the length of lies that some people are willing to believe, even if it is clearly implausible if you think about it. I guess the same argument can go whether someone follows a cult is stupid???? You can be the judgement of that.

[Marin85]

From what you are now saying it seems to me that I have misunderstood your previous post, so I apologize for my completely unnecessary overreaction Also, I don´t think Apple fans are dumb. Being dumb doesn´t have anything to do with being an Apple fan. Anyway, it´s not anymore necessary to comment on this as my previous reply is now out of context.

i am simply saying the length of lies that some people are willing to believe, even if it is clearly implausible if you think about it. I guess the same argument can go whether someone follows a cult is stupid???? You can be the judgement of that.

Still, I don´t like commenting on other people (but rather commenting on their opinions, I think it makes difference).

if you happened to notice i own an Apple Macbook Pro... i wouldn't slap myself in the face by saying that....

I didn´t. I guess that was stupid of me...


Cheers

Marin

[sparta.rising]

More rumors and spyshots:
http://www.macrumors.com/2008/10/08/mor ... se-images/

And some Macbook announcement 10/14
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/09/appl ... ober-14th/

[Wentworth]

the new casing on the Macbook looks good, the plastics got scratched too easily on the current Macbook. But i doubt that Apple would cnc/3D laser cut/water jet the case out of alumnium ingot as opposed to pressing the cheaper aluminium sheet. After all Apple makes the most profit per unit of laptop (apparently they can earn as much as 30% profit per unit, amazing really) bar some niche laptop makers.

[wswartzendruber]

So are they going to finally make something stronger than a T series?

[Wentworth]

It is not going to be stronger than a T series, the Macbook would only have a thin aluminum cover not something you would consider standing on. It is not going to be any stronger than the Macbook Pro.... but it is going to be hell lot better and slightly lighter than the polycarbonate case they use on the current Macbook.

[virge]

From: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2332514,00.asp

"Apple has spent years looking for a new way to design laptops. By carving its chassis out a thick piece of aluminum slab to form a uniform enclosure, the company has done just that. Not only have they reduced the number of parts used, but they also claim they have made their systems a lot stronger. "

Has the rumor been spreading?

[sparta.rising]

No, the rumor turned out to be true.
http://gizmodo.com/5063227/how-the-macb ... d-aluminum

[virge]

No, the rumor turned out to be true.
http://gizmodo.com/5063227/how-the-macb ... d-aluminum

Wow... I know the process has been around for a while, but its still amazing to watch. It seems like that's one way to build a pretty solid laptop. I wonder if electrical shorts will become a problem with this design.

[wswartzendruber]

No, the rumor turned out to be true.
http://gizmodo.com/5063227/how-the-macb ... d-aluminum

Wow... I know the process has been around for a while, but its still amazing to watch. It seems like that's one way to build a pretty solid laptop. I wonder if electrical shorts will become a problem with this design.

Here's what's funny: They have very likely dethroned the ThinkPad T/W series as the most durable, non-ruggidized laptop in the world...but I also bet they jacked-up the keyboard feel.

[sparta.rising]

I think the glossy screen kills durability

[Troels]

But how are they ever going to keep up with demand?
The process is dead slow, but they must believe they can keep up.
One thing is machined aluminium, but what is the thickness of this? As an exterior material, it's easy to tire/break compared to steel, and may have a certain resistance towards bumps - but it will snap rather than bend.

wswartzendruber, Not sure of that really, a roll cage will be just as good.. but i think my next notebook will be a macbook or macbook pro, if i can get the screen polarized somehow. Glossy is just unacceptable. Their LCDs are better than the current gen LCDs in Thinkpads - the aluminium casing sounds promising if it is thick enough, and can keyboards be that bad (?)
Oh and it has a symmetric LCD.

However, seen from a material point of view, i think this is a waste. Sure you can re-melt aluminium, but you'd have a hard time reaching the same structure without making it look "flamed". You can just as easily recycle plastic, at least some types.
And, why does Apple introduce a luxury product during a financial crisis? Of course, they have to find a way to survive, but why not get more down to earth, or enter the cheaper netbook market which seems to be all the rage, where a good reason behind this seems to be the low price?

[sparta.rising]

Because its Apple... if they introduced an inexpensive product it would kill their image as an elite culture status image.* Image, culture, and style are the main things that has led to their resurgence.

*iPods are quite affordable now, but it doesn't stop people from being snobs.

[RealBlackStuff]

You can see how these cases are made here:
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08 ... ocess.html

[pxa270]

And, why does Apple introduce a luxury product during a financial crisis? Of course, they have to find a way to survive, but why not get more down to earth, or enter the cheaper netbook market which seems to be all the rage, where a good reason behind this seems to be the low price?

I think these things take at least a year to develop, probably more. Even 3 months ago few people expected things would get so dire and so quickly.

[asiafish]

Apple just doesn't (and shouldn't) play at the low end. The cheapest Mac is more than double the cost of the cheapest PC, and lacks many of that cheap PC's capabilities. Just like a Honda Accord is faster, more fuel efficient, larger, more comfortable and quieter than a C class Mercedes, so too is a cheap PC more capable than a cheap Mac.

That said, there is just something special about that Mercedes, and likewise about the Mac. The user experience is on a whole other level, there is no malware, and the OS is just plain better than Windows.

Mac hardware has also always been special. Not necessarily better, but special nonetheless. A 15" widescreen T series will do everything a 15" MacBook Pro can do except (officially) run OS X, and many things the MacBook Pro can't, such as docking, swappable drive bays and the like. Still, the Mac feels more integrated, more luxurious, and just plain more expensive, which of course it is.

I miss some ThinkPad features, but I love my new (old model) MacBook Pro.

But how are they ever going to keep up with demand?
The process is dead slow, but they must believe they can keep up.
One thing is machined aluminium, but what is the thickness of this? As an exterior material, it's easy to tire/break compared to steel, and may have a certain resistance towards bumps - but it will snap rather than bend.

wswartzendruber, Not sure of that really, a roll cage will be just as good.. but i think my next notebook will be a macbook or macbook pro, if i can get the screen polarized somehow. Glossy is just unacceptable. Their LCDs are better than the current gen LCDs in Thinkpads - the aluminium casing sounds promising if it is thick enough, and can keyboards be that bad (?) :)
Oh and it has a symmetric LCD.

However, seen from a material point of view, i think this is a waste. Sure you can re-melt aluminium, but you'd have a hard time reaching the same structure without making it look "flamed". You can just as easily recycle plastic, at least some types.
And, why does Apple introduce a luxury product during a financial crisis? Of course, they have to find a way to survive, but why not get more down to earth, or enter the cheaper netbook market which seems to be all the rage, where a good reason behind this seems to be the low price? :?:

[beGi]

LOL!!!!