Worldwide Aluminum Shortage

MacRumors · Apr 12, 2004

Epochtimes reports on a global alumnium shortage this year and next.

According to one anonymous submission, tight aluminum supplies are contributing to delays in production in current and future aluminum-based Macs.

Tulse · Apr 12, 2004

Given the huge amount of aluminum that gets used in industrial applications like house siding, gutters, aircraft manufacture, wiring and the like, I find it extremely unlikely that a shortage of aluminum would affect the tiny amount used in production of Apple laptops.

Sublime · Apr 12, 2004

ROFL

Hey, I have a big bag of Coke cans here at the house if any manufacturers want it.

😀

m-dogg · Apr 12, 2004

When I went to the Epochtimes reports site, it says "April 1, 2004" in the top left corner...is this real or some kind of late April Fools joke?

mislabeledstar · Apr 12, 2004

Sublime said:
Hey, I have a big bag of Coke cans here at the house if any manufacturers want it.

😀

So an Apple/Coke team up for the next line of powerbooks?

canadianmacguy · Apr 12, 2004

Tulse said:
Given the huge amount of aluminum that gets used in industrial applications like house siding, gutters, aircraft manufacture, wiring and the like, I find it extremely unlikely that a shortage of aluminum would affect the tiny amount used in production of Apple laptops.

I completely agree.. the "aluminum" machines from Apple are probably just aluminum coated, so just a few microns of sprayed aluminum..

7254278 · Apr 12, 2004

omg

this is the most retarded rumor ever

johnnowak · Apr 12, 2004

I wish they'd go back to plastic. It feels better and doesn't scratch nearly as easily. And maybe go back to black too. Black is a good shade for computers methinks. Or brown. Mm.

Tulse · Apr 12, 2004

Sublime said:
Hey, I have a big bag of Coke cans here at the house if any manufacturers want it.

Hmm...now that you mention it, didn't the beloved CARS do a piece a while ago about Apple running out of aluminum for its PowerBooks, and asking users to send in pop cans and pull-tabs? (I can't find it in their archives, but they just did the redesign thing, and Moltz was never the most organized of folks...)

nsb3000 · Apr 12, 2004

Ya...Right. 🙂

Tulse said:
Given the huge amount of aluminum that gets used in industrial applications like house siding, gutters, aircraft manufacture, wiring and the like, I find it extremely unlikely that a shortage of aluminum would affect the tiny amount used in production of Apple laptops.

Ya I meanwhats next. "Because of OPEC decreasing production of Oil, the world wide plastic market is currently experience massive shortages. "

There are many different product that go into each computer, but I don't think shortage of raw material would really effect apple that much. Individual components sure (LCD, video card, optical drive ect) but not raw building materials.

Trowaman · Apr 12, 2004

Back to indestructable and more expensive titanium we go . . .

wdlove · Apr 12, 2004

johnnowak said:
I wish they'd go back to plastic. It feels better and doesn't scratch nearly as easily. And maybe go back to black too. Black is a good shade for computers methinks. Or brown. Mm.

I would not wan to see Apple go back to black or brown, those are PC colors. We are Apple and 'Think Different.' 😎

Freg3000 · Apr 12, 2004

Patmian212 said:
this is the most retarded rumor ever

I agree. To think that delays in PowerBooks are due to a shortage of aluminum is silly.

Mr. Anderson · Apr 12, 2004

This just doesn't sound right. And aluminum isn't even at its high point for the year - if there was such concern about supply you'd see a nice increase 😀

As for the cans - how much of the recycling accounts for the aluminum in the market? Or is it all used to make more cans?

D

dukemeiser · Apr 12, 2004

Aluminum is the second most abundant element in Earth's crust. Google it. If there is a shortage, it's because they aren't processing enough of it.

AppleMatt · Apr 12, 2004

Mr. Anderson said:
As for the cans - how much of the recycling accounts for the aluminum in the market? Or is it all used to make more cans?

I don't know the percentage recycled relative to the total amount, but apparently the US recycles 1500 cans every minute. That's a lot of cans.

Also, the Finnish recycle 97% of their bottles. 97%! I think that's amazing, I thought at least 3% would have been lost in transit/accidentally binned/broken/kept for collections etc etc.

AppleMatt

(edit: slowly realised "fins" wasn't appropriate to describe the Finnish)

fixyourthinking · Apr 12, 2004

This WAS an April Fool's Joke

m-dogg said:
When I went to the Epochtimes reports site, it says "April 1, 2004" in the top left corner...is this real or some kind of late April Fools joke?

It was an April*Fool's joke

http://biz.yahoo.com/p/basicmconameu.html

Above is a link to Yahoo Finance Metal section, metals have not seen ANY uptick in pricing (something like this would make aluminum pricing spike)

Also, as others have said, the aluminum used in the computer industry is insignificant to even make a difference in raw materials pricing - if it spiked, quanta or compal would just eat it.

Further, we also would see several stories on the AP/Reuters wires that we should start collecting cans - there is a HUGE industry built around aluminum recycling that isn't even figured into Aluminum commodity pricing - which is only based on "new raw" or "semi mined raw"

603 · Apr 12, 2004

materials

MacOSRumors suggests that the next PowerBooks will be made of carbon fiber... might be neat, who knows. what's next, ground effects... ? copy and paste: macosrumors.com/41004A.html

they might be wrong about carbon fiber casings, but they're right about the "Armani Suit" bit. i second the recommendations for going back to black. think not of the dull off-gray of a Dell or IBM machine... more like an inverse iBook, glossy and dangerous. it would look totally stealth.

going back to some sort of plastic casing would be a good call too, in my opinion. i bet nobody who bought a ThinkPad or a Vaio has to deal with their computer warping like wet plywood.

bousozoku · Apr 12, 2004

Sublime said:
Hey, I have a big bag of Coke cans here at the house if any manufacturers want it.

😀

I want a Mountain Dew Code Red special edition PowerBook. 😉

iBrodie · Apr 12, 2004

LOL

Maybe if we send Apple enough alumnium cans they will send us some free powerbooks 😀 Next thing your going to hear is there is a shortage of silicone 😛

Powerbook G5 · Apr 12, 2004

I heard the new PowerBooks and PowerMacs are delayed because they ran out of the nifty looking aluminum power buttons. 😛

Sun Baked · Apr 12, 2004

Doesn't Look like an April 1 Story...

World faces aluminum shortage as China demand soars

Friday March 12, 02:28 AM

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The world faces an aluminum shortage in 2004 and 2005 as white hot Chinese demand meets limited supplies of the raw ingredient alumina, an industry survey found.

The survey by Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER - news) led to a re-think on the aluminum industry, and a sharp upgrade for the share price outlook of aluminum production giants including Alcoa (NYSE: AA - news) and Alcan.
China, which consumed 18.7 percent of the world's aluminum and produced 19.7 percent last year, is rapidly expanding smelter capacity but will be forced to curb output because of limited alumina, it said.

As a result, prices for aluminum -- used for beer and softdrink cans, home sidings, roofing and windows, car and plane bodies and overhead transmission lines -- would soar in 2004 and 2005....

Aluminum scrap shortage pinches smelters.

American Metal Market, May 28, 2003, by Christopher Cundy

OSLO, Norway -- The U.S. secondary aluminum industry faces "a year of ongoing challenges" because of tightening scrap supplies, Harvey Rosen, vice president of aluminum at Alpert & Alpert Iron & Metal Inc., Los Angeles, said at the Bureau of International Recycling's spring symposium here Monday.

The shortage of scrap was partly attributable to a decline in U.S. manufacturing and increased production efficiencies, which had reduced the amount of new production scrap available, he said.

However, a strong export market for scrap was making it difficult for U.S. secondary ingot producers to take advantage of the growing market for casting alloys.

"The American Foundry Society is forecasting an increase in aluminum casting shipments of 9.8 percent for the year ... at a time when there is not enough scrap to meet demand," Rosen said...

Running short on aluminum scrap, so you will have to send in your beer/coke cans if you want a PowerBook. 😉

El Duderino · Apr 12, 2004

603 said:
MacOSRumors suggests that the next PowerBooks will be made of carbon fiber...

carbon fiber is nice but if it cracks than its all over from there, carbon fiber, once cracked, will splinter out from that crack like no tomorow. its strong in a sense but not strong enough to withstand any kind of beating like aluminum or plastic (this coming from the man that will not be putting a carbon fiber hood on his jetta 1.8t becuase of such horror stories, besides, much better can come from $700)in other word, maybe a "ground effects" for an apple should be the only thing that is made of carbon fiber god forbid that where to ever happen. the last thing we need is apple "ricers"

johnnowak said:
I wish they'd go back to plastic....Or brown. Mm.

icky! color of poop, apple is not poop. shame on you. 🙄

dernhelm · Apr 12, 2004

LOL

iBrodie said:
Next thing your going to hear is there is a shortage of silicone 😛

HA! I can see it now - iMac SE (silicone edition) - shaped like a large b**b. They can always ask Pamela Anderson Lee for a donation if they run out...

😱

bennetsaysargh · Apr 12, 2004

Patmian212 said:
this is the most retarded rumor ever

not a rumor. it's news. not everything on page 2 is a rumor. it can be news, in this case, it was bogus news, but it doesn't have to be a rumor to be on pg 2.

El Duderino said:
icky! color of poop, apple is not poop. shame on you. 🙄

it would be worthy of a poop thread though 😉 😛

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