The Macbook "Brick"

http://www.9to5mac.com/macbook-brick

by ojbyrne • 18 years ago

43 40 18 years ago

1310722• 18 years ago

That article is a little garbled. What it seems to be saying is that Apple is going to CNC machine MacBook cases from a solid block instead of stamping (or maybe even hydroforming) them. This seems like an incomplete part of the story, since it would be near-impossible to CNC machine aluminum to the very thin dimensions they currently have with their stamped cases. It would also be very difficult to machine a block with the dimensions of a MacBook so that the innards are hollow, reducing the number of seams and fasteners. A great deal of scrap would be produced in the form of aluminum chips, which do not recycle well because the high surface area means there is a lot of aluminum oxide to deal with.

Water jets and laser cutters are in common usage and one or other has probably been used to cut the blanks or trim the finished case parts since the titanium powerbook. They are also excellent for parts like the bezel on the front of the MBP screen. They are not generally used to carve 3D shapes - that is done by a CNC mill, which resembles a big drill bit that can move in three dimensions if you haven't seen one. To stamp a MBP case would take seconds - CNC machining one from solid might keep a 7-figure machine occupied for several minutes. Water jets and lasers generally blow a hole right through whatever they are pointed at, limiting their usage to cutting flat sheets or trimming the edges from stamped parts.

If this article is true, I think we are more likely to see more elaborate internal bracing or complex case designs from Apple. The innards of a MBP are fairly prosaic and complex machining could be used to improve airflow and allow components to be packed closer together. Aluminum could also be strategically placed in more complex shapes to help conduct heat out of the case. But when you manufacture parts by the million, casting the parts then finish-machining them may be more efficient, since the need to tie up expensive machines is reduced. Perhaps this is a strategy to get out of the 'just like every other laptop but with OSX' trap and maintain their competitive advantage in 'design' now that their competitors are starting to lift their game.

Also, aircraft-grade aluminum doesn't really mean anything. There are many different grades with different purposes, many of which are in common use in all kinds of relatively mundane applications. No doubt the current MacBook Pros are made from 'aircraft grade aluminum', but coke cans probably are too.

It sounds like some juicy info has unfortunately been filtered through one or two levels of people who aren't familiar with machine tool jargon. It would be very interesting to hear more details.

If you want to play with these machines yourself, check out emachineshop.com - a cool startup if ever there was one.

ojbyrne• 18 years ago

http://emachineshop.com looks seriously cool. One of those ideas that you just assumed someone else had already done.

mhb2• 18 years ago

That's interesting about the relative recycling value of chips vs. blocks. Is it possible to keep the chips covered in coolant to prevent oxidation if it is known that the aluminum is going to be remelted?

1310722• 18 years ago

I had a look and found this: http://www.ars-inc.com/ROI.htm Still, buying expensive aluminum billets and then turning ~99% of the material into chips as would happen with a case design similar to the current MBP wouldn't be very efficient.

Perhaps they are moving to case designs that are a combination of CNC machined parts and stamped pieces? I'm sure Apple's design team is a lot more imaginative than me. There are some CNC-looking parts in the current MBP like the bracket that fixes the HD in place.

But let's face facts. Steve will not rest until he is selling Cube shaped computers again. :)

alaskamiller2• 18 years ago

I like 9to5Mac the best out of all the other rumor sites. They definitely have some good relationships with Apple employees since I've seen corp info (both real and fake) leak multiple times.

quasimojo3• 18 years ago

GO BACK TO VALLEYWAG

unalone6• 18 years ago

I might be a patsy for saying this, but you're not serious, are you? Valleywag has the highest ratio of noise to signal of any site that I've seen - with the exception of the other sites in the Gawker portfolio. I try to avoid that entire branch of blogs unless I've got good reason to, or unless I'm recommended one article in particular.

alaskamiller2• 18 years ago

lol

mattmaroon6• 18 years ago

I thought this article was going to be about my cofounder's MBP. It, too, has been nicknamed the Macbook Brick, but for a much different reason.

unalone6• 18 years ago

Why has it been, then?

mattmaroon6• 18 years ago

Because it's been in and out of the Apple store ever since he bought it, and generally is about as functional as a brick.

noonespecial2• 18 years ago

A 12" x 12" x 1.5" block of aluminum costs more than $200.

Not a very efficient method of making a computer case. I think maybe the article might be missing a few details!

jws3• 18 years ago

216 cubic inches, 0.098 lb/cu in, 21 pounds. Aluminum is running about $1/pound. That sounds like $20 to me. I think they can find room to bury that in the price tag. You could spend around $200 to buy a single 12"x12" plate from a metal retailer on line, but I think Apple would buy in volume.

Actual volume of a macbook is 123 cubic inches, so it is even less.

I suppose I could be wildly wrong about the price of whatever alloy they are using.

noonespecial2• 18 years ago

That looks like the current scrap price. Its at about $.80 at this very moment, down from a high of $1.10 earlier this year.

Pure alloys (not mixed and cast by melting scrap), even common ones like 6061 still seem to be $5-$10/pound even in large quantities. If you know of a way to get 61 or 52 for less than that we would greatly appreciate the tip.

dkokelley• 18 years ago

What about recycling? Apple doesn't use the entire mass in each computer. Most of it would be hollowed out and the scrap could be recycled.

mhb2• 18 years ago

And this is what it will look like being made: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=323877

quasimojo3• 18 years ago

haha keep chasing the "high end" apple. you'd think losing 50% share price would shake some sense into you. let me summarize:

2008: COMPUTERS ARE DISPOSABLE

you need to start thinking about $399 laptops, not $3999 laptops

what do i or anyone else really care if the laptop case is designed to last a decade? i am going to be using this thing 24 months, not 24 years

apple's competitors would be stupid to chase this pointless luxury. users don't know and don't care about better cases

jlouis2• 18 years ago

You are wrong. I generally buy a new laptop every 3 years. I tend to buy a bit up the curve and get 1.5 years where the beast is fast, one year where the beast is "adequate" and half a year where the beast is "slow". To me, it is not about performance in laptops. It is about keyboard stability, robustness and weight. I have a blindingly fast desktop-computer and my laptop is for when I am not at home or when I want to hack code in the recliner. I don't need prime performance for that.

quasimojo3• 18 years ago

i can safely say that you, seeking not performance but "keybaord stability" in a laptop, are a market of one. its so sad to see the fanbois try to justify their iSlavery, almost like a battered wife telling the judge she reaaaallyyyy stiiiill loooooves hiiiim.

LPTS• 18 years ago

I was hoping the code name brick would refer to something you throw through windows to break them.

The first 21st century telepathically assisted alien technology computer factory is pretty good too though.

TweedHeads• 18 years ago

For those who are being fooled into this nonsense, the "brick" is a new and smaller mac mini without dvd drive.

Shhh, I could get fired if they know I told you.

The Macbook "Brick"

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