Chrome
lol j/k possibly some type of amorphous metal, or go back to titanium (this time reinforced strategically), magnesium would be cool though... (remeber the NeXT cube???
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MacBooks May Soon Become Aluminum
- Thread starter coryetzkorn
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Chrome
lol j/k possibly some type of amorphous metal, or go back to titanium (this time reinforced strategically), magnesium would be cool though... (remeber the NeXT cube???
I suppose they could get away with aluminum, but it would really eat away at margins. The mbp has a better margin for stuff like that (which is why it has a reasonably higher price tag). Although I'm not going to be placing any bets on rumors about Apple's upcoming designs. The iMac went in an entirely new direction, and who's to say that the macbooks won't? It's all up in the air right now.
The folks here that argued aluminum would not be used on the iMacs (because of cost, "pro" features, etc. etc.) were shown to be wrong. So I don't think we can put it past Apple to use aluminum in a future MacBook model.
You know I don't think that there's too much value in the whole "pro" designation any more. You don't see an iPod and an iPod Pro. This has been demonstrated in Apple's upselling of the MacBook Pro 15. People that didn't want the smaller 13.3" screen, but didn't need dedicated graphics or large hard drives, splurged on the MBP 15 even though they weren't pros. If I were Apple, I would offer the MBP 15 with Intel GMA x3100 integrated graphics for $1,599, and they would be crushed with orders.
So I don't think it really matters whether or not Apple uses aluminum in its consumer products. In the end, it's the feature set and whether you can afford it or not.
You know I don't think that there's too much value in the whole "pro" designation any more. You don't see an iPod and an iPod Pro. This has been demonstrated in Apple's upselling of the MacBook Pro 15. People that didn't want the smaller 13.3" screen, but didn't need dedicated graphics or large hard drives, splurged on the MBP 15 even though they weren't pros. If I were Apple, I would offer the MBP 15 with Intel GMA x3100 integrated graphics for $1,599, and they would be crushed with orders.
So I don't think it really matters whether or not Apple uses aluminum in its consumer products. In the end, it's the feature set and whether you can afford it or not.
humm the keys on that stupid new keyboard are still PVC, wonder if this means that they will be changing it soon.
BTW: I don't want to see MBs become aluminum. It will take away part of what makes my MBP so damn cool.
BTW: I don't want to see MBs become aluminum. It will take away part of what makes my MBP so damn cool.
They can just paint it white or black. Loss of coolness averted, structural reliability gained.
What would be the point of that? Apple isn't going to spend money on aluminum if no one knows it's aluminum. Some of it has to show.
Yes you are correct on all fronts there. It's just odd that if they plan on getting rid of the PVC they even bothered putting the PVC keys on. I guess we will see by the end of '08
Yeah, Apple would never sell painted or anodized aluminum products... cough... iPod Nano... cough.. Macbook Pro cough...every aluminum product they sell.
A small Nano's worth of aluminum is quite different from a notebook's worth of aluminum. For a notebook, Apple is going to let people know it's aluminum by having at least a good portion of the notebook show off the aluminum.
I don't quite get your thread link to the peeling macbook pro. That part of the notebook is plastic anyways. Either way, it still looks like aluminum. Apple hasn't colored its pro notebooks a different color as kntgsp was suggesting.
Yeah, anodizing is beautiful but it's probably not practical for a notebook shell. There are lots of metallic paint options, though. I wouldn't count them out too quickly. And you can tell when a computer case is made of metal whether it's painted or not... it's pretty easy. Well, maybe not all the Magnesium ones. But Al is fairly obvious.
Yes, it's obvious when you know what to look for. There are plenty of dumb people in this world, who will ask, "Where's the aluminum?" Personally, I would like to see some more colors added to the macbook lineup: maybe a nice blue and green. Not too many though, just a few more to add to the current black and white.
On a side note, aluminum would make the macbook lighter, as right now it's a bit heavy for a 13.3" notebook.
Definitely agree that I'd love to see it lose some weight.
I really don't want a heavier notebook than my iBook G4.
Definitely agree that I'd love to see it lose some weight.
How heavy is your iBook? 4lb-ish? That really should be the weight of the macbook (maybe even 3.5lb or so, considering that it's a 13.3" screen, not a 14.1)
PVC and Polycarbonate are totally different things. Macbooks are made out of Polycarbonate. PVC is primarily used in computer components, not to make entire computer cases.
I love the white look of the MacBook, I'd hate to see it move to aluminium or any other metal. I hope that it isn't the case.....
Magnesium is considered the "material of the future" in the automotive world. It will slowly begin to replace more and more aluminum components as it becomes cheaper to produce.
Josh
Josh