“Mac enthusiasts have been transfixed lately by the mystery product, code-named ‘brick,’ that’s due for release later this month,” Arik Hesseldahl reports for BusinessWeek.
“Some bloggers and pundits have suggested it might be a new iteration of Apple TV or an updated Mac Mini. But according to a report on 9to5Mac.com, ‘brick’ refers not to what it is, but how it’s made. The Web site, which cites an anonymous source, says the code name has to do with a manufacturing process for Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of laptops. Apple will build the notebook out of a single piece of carved-out aluminum—a brick,” Hesseldahl reports.
Hesseldahl reports, “There could also be savings from the change, says Kevin Keller, an analyst at market research firm iSuppli. ‘If you’re working with one single unit of metal, you’re reducing a lot of the materials costs and also a lot of labor time on assembly,’ he says.”
“Using a single piece of metal would also provide the opportunity for the kind of design flourishes that distinguish Apple and its chief executive, Steve Jobs. Screws might be minimized or eliminated entirely. Seams joining different pieces of metal would disappear. In short, these notebooks would be unlike anything else on the market in appearance and design,” Hesseldahl reports.
Full article here.
