“The MacBook Brick is a block of high-quality, aircraft grade aluminum,” Seth Weintraub reports for 9 to 5 Mac.
“It is the beginning of the new Apple manufacturing process to make MacBooks,” Weintraub reports.
“It is totally revolutionary, a game changer,” Weintraub reports. “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,” Weintraub reports. “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.”
Weintraub reports, “As [Apple CFO] 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.”
More in the full article here.
This sounds promising, but could someone please explain the benefit of this that I don’t see?
Sounds mighty expensive is a world with a lot of pressure on margins. I would say, not a chance!
@Excited…
I would guess it has to do with building a more durable metal casing?
Unless the innards slide out on some sort of a tray, how would you get inside to upgrade or repair it?
I can see the environmental benefits of this manufacturing process.
Because your working with slab material, all the tiny parts cut out can be re-aggregated into a new slab. Rather than wasting parts.
I feel the rumble…. I’m hoping they call it the “iBook 2nd Generation”
the iBook has such a Eve and Walle feel to it…. ok I’m going crazy now.
Does this mean Apple has a manufacturing plant now??
Maybe the cost of outsourcing will leverage the cost of the technology that they are going to use???
They already use injection molding for the metal now… does this really change things that much? I don’t know why it would but I guess it’s a big step, I’d love to know why it’s so monumental…
Pi
Hey MDN guys,
This article has already been up for at least 24 hours if not more. I thought you were more on top of things than this…
Me thinks this article is a gag fellas.
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I have two conflicting issues with this. One for and one against:
1) Processing time would be greatly increased. This processing would not be able to support high volume productions.
2) Carved aluminum would create more effective spacial usage. Plus, heat dissipation would be greater with a more solid piece of metal.
This would also allow for much thinner laptops than before with much more strength built in. You aren’t bending the metal so it would be stronger, plus, you can shape the case to allow for custom internal components.
Gaga!
Too cost prohibitive. Just take sheet aluminum and stamp it. More cost effective. That would help keep the cost down during a crappy economy.
Its good to know that theres a stronger casing. Just as Lenovo advertised that it has airbag to protect the HD and water protection….BUT, it does not cover them if that is what causes the computer to malfunction. Same deal with macs, you drop it, you’ll pay for it.
> It is totally revolutionary, a game changer,” Weintraub reports. “One of the biggest Apple innovations in a decade.”
Wowsers. I have a shower door that’s aluminum. But then of course whatever Apple does is “innovative.”
Nonsense! Milling an aluminum billet, not a brick, with a laser or water is just not cost effective. It’s not structurally any better, it’s not aesthetically any better, AND it’s NOT cheaper. Weintraub is a doofus.
“The company has spent the last few years building an entirely new manufacturing process that uses lasers…”
What about sharks?
wow, it is incredible the way people think….
maybe, just maybe, Apple has made it cost effective.
not structurally better? every stamp twist bend and shape puts micro stresses and tears into the material. this would stop 100% of those. you could (in theory) make much thinner and lighter cases, and yet they would be even stronger.
not aesthetically better? they wouldn’t be limited by assembly or joints or screws, and could instead make (again in theory) even more pure clean lines.
i don’t know if this is true, but if it is, it is Apple doing it, so it won’t be half-assed. they could move the entire line in time. iPods, notebooks, iMacs, everything. if they are doing it on that scale, and if they patent it right, they could build products the competition only dreams of, and maybe, just maybe, for less than build them now.
i swear, some of you don’t even think before posting……
Sharks with Frikin’ laser beams on top of their heads? Instead we get ill-tempered sea bass! Jeez, what is the world coming to?
“This sounds promising, but could someone please explain the benefit of this that I don’t see?”
Read Article
Sort of like what the guys on OCC have been using to build custom motorcycles for over a year? High-end fab? Interesting. I guess. But far from “new”, except, perhaps, in the low-end laptop business.
Stamped sheet-metal costs considerably less than carved, in terms of time, coin and waste material. Roll it flat, bend it curved, done. This carving jazz is a bit expensive – and to no great benefit – even for the MBP. The marginal benefits at a significant cost might – just maybe – fit in the MBA profile.
People are pissed and bitter about their stocks; this is pretty friggin’ amazing… IF true.
If there had been structural strength issues with Macbooks – there hasnt.
If it was cheaper to mill a billet than stamp press – it isnt.
If Apple had built their own manufacturing unit – they havent.
This MIGHT work with some weird niche product – but Apple dont make weird niche products, they make mass-produced and big selling products.
Verdict – complete bollocks.
they just say that to raise the stock price….
This IS a rumor.
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If true, I’m sure it’s patented out the wazoo…
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Mr. ‘Excited and confused’:
1. Wait. This is a -rumor- and not fact.
2. Ignore the utterly ignorant comments posted on MDN.
This sounds interesting, and I could imagine that it could provide some nice advanteages for apple since their products are often shapes that are hard to stamp out / manufacture.
That being said… if this where true, I would expect that we would have heard of Apple buying a facility where they can manufacture things, right? If they were going to do this in the US, I’m sure they would want to take advantage of all tax breaks they could get if they let it out that they were looking for a manufacturing location.