If the almost universal projections are correct, then we're a week
away from Apple's announcement and launch of new notebook computers to
replace the current MacBook Pro and MacBook lines.
It's sounding like they will have been worth the long wait - Apple's
MacBook lines having last been refreshed way back in February.
Carved Casings
9 to 5 Mac's Seth Weintraub stirred the new MacBook speculation pot
on Saturday with a
report claiming that the mysterious and much-conjectured Apple
"Brick" isn't a new computer line at all, but rather a revolutionary
new laptop manufacturing process whereby the company's imminent new mid
to large size notebooks will be carved into a MacBook shape out of
solid blocks of high-quality, aircraft grade aluminum using 3D laser
and water jet cutting technologies.
Weintraub refers to the new manufacturing technique as "totally
revolutionary, a game changer," comparing it to Henry Ford's assembly
line concept that transformed the fledgling auto industry in the early
20th century.
The MacBook Brick is "the beginning," says Weintraub, "One of the
biggest Apple innovations in a decade."
That may be overstating things a bit. Use of lasers and waterjets to
cut metal has been around for a while - for example in the boat and
shipbuilding industries - but if Apple will be using it as Weintraub
suggests, it would be an unequivocal first for the computer
industry.
The advantages of 3D laser and water jet cutting in metal product
fabrication are many. Carving out of solid blocks of aluminum dispenses
with the the need to bend metal, which causes it to work-harden, and be
thin enough to be formed efficiently, creating weak points and
amplifying potential for cracking. It also creates seamless components
for a smooth appearance, and fewer mechanical fasteners are required in
the product, which also tends to be stronger. The process is efficient,
cutting costs as well as metal.
The report says that this will be an Apple-run show, executed in
Apple's own ultra modern manufacturing facility, which Computerworld is
speculating might even be located in the US, rather than manufacturing
technology engineered by Apple's longtime Taiwanese/Chinese laptop
subcontractors. The last US built laptop I owned was my 1996 PowerBook 5300, which was made in
Mountain Grove, California.
Nvidia Inside
Another new MacBook rumor that surfaced (or actually resurfaced)
late last week is speculation that the new MacBooks will be equipped
with Nvidia's brand new MCP7A-U graphics chipset rather than an Intel
graphics chipset (the central processing unit will continue to be Intel
Core 2 Duo).
On the weekend, the blogsite MacSoda
said that Nvidia has pushed back its introduction of its new MCP7A
integrated graphics that is to be used in the new MacBook from
September 30th to October 15th, the day after the presumed MacBook
announcement and rollout.
Simplified Branding
Another line of conjecture is that Apple will converge the MacBook
Pro and MacBook lines into a common form factor that will be available
with a range of power and equipment levels, thus reducing Mac notebooks
to just two model families - the MacBook and MacBook Air, or perhaps
opening a slot for a brand-new subnotebook in 2008 to compete with the
hot-selling PC netbooks like Asustek's Eee PC and a growing roster of
others.
Losing Ports
So far, all good, but a less-auspicious rumor has it that some I/O
connectivity may be lost with the new machines, which would lose the
MacBook Pro's 28-pin DVI-I (Dual Link) port in favor of a Mini DVI
adapter like the one used on current MacBooks and the iMac, and the
native FireWire 400 port also being ditched, leaving only a FireWire
800 port (which can support FireWire 400 via an adapter).
Better Design
Back in the positive column is expected easier access to the hard
drive and memory than is the case with the current MacBook Pro
line.
16:9?
I'm not especially enthusiastic about a predicted shift of display
aspect ratios to an even wider 16:9 from the current 16:10 that has
been used since the first
17" PowerBook. Out would be the 13.3", 15.4", and 17" sizes, to be
replaced with 13.1", 15.8", 16.4", or even a whopping 18.4" unit. The
change would be in aid of facilitating more satisfactory movie-viewing
on laptop screens, with the 16:9 aspect ratio common in movies and
HDTVs, as well as perhaps production rationalization, since laptop
displays are often made by the same manufacturers who make the
HDTVs.
Personally, I find the 16:10 ratio of my 17" PowerBook plenty wide
enough and would be more interested in increased screen height rather
than width if there has to be a change at all. [Editor's note: See
16:9 Computer Displays: Let's
Not Go There for my take on this issue. dk]
Going to a squattier format will make real computer functions like
using Web browsers and viewing documents worse rather than better (I
hate scrolling). It's nice to be able to watch movies and TV shows on
your laptop, but I resist that aspect, so to speak, becoming dominant
over productivity and functional considerations.
Another rumor suggests that HD video out and even a HD camera could
be possibilities.
Other Possible Changes
A near certainty is that whatever the screen sizes turn out to be,
they should have LED backlights across-the-board. DigiTimes' Rebecca
Kuo and Rodney Chan reported last
week that Kenmos Technology expects shipments of its LED backlight
units for notebooks to hit a record in the fourth quarter, after
slumping for the past few quarters, as the shift from cold cathode
fluorescent lamp backlights accelerates. Apple is a Kenmos
customer.
Other possibilities include built-in 3G wireless technology, perhaps
even WiMax. Reports say sales of 3G modems for laptops are booming, so
it wouldn't be a shock for Apple to include this capability.
I think a multitouch glass trackpad is less probable, but you never
know.
Built-in GPS? Well, these are mobile computers, and if 3G
connectivity makes sense, why not GPS?
Blu-ray drives? Also a long shot I think, but don't rule it out
entirely.
Optional Solid-state drives will be coming inevitably, so why not
now - probably topping out at 128 GB capacity.
All in all, the middle of October promises to be memorable for more
than a stock market meltdown, at least in the Apple orbit. The
operative question is whether anyone will have enough money left to buy
the new laptops.
