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Apple to Adopt Carbon Fiber for Lighter MacBook Air?
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it would be pretty cool though; maybe they could lace the casing with spectra shield instead of kevlar; its a lot lighter
If that is so then it weight 0.7 lb, so to reduce it by 0.5 lb the carbon fibre would need to be 75% lighter than aluminium.
Forget the carbon fiber, I want a 10" Macbook AIR!
Apple has been making a lot of manufacturing and fabrication changes lately that yield minimal differences for the end user, while there are a number of product and software design changes that could yield even more noticeable results.
Apple has been making a lot of manufacturing and fabrication changes lately that yield minimal differences for the end user, while there are a number of product and software design changes that could yield even more noticeable results.
carbon fiber is strong in certain directions but can punctured easily on top. if you dont believe me try stabbing a carbon fiber hood with a fork.
Appleinsider claims it weighs 260 grams (0.57 pounds) and that the change will shave 100 grams off of it taking the entire notebook from 1363 grams to 1263 grams (2.78 pounds).
I have no idea if any of this is true, I'm just repeating what it says there.
lightweight is good, but...
The problem with the netbooks is the display becomes top heavy and the base isn't wide enough to support it so it can easily tip. I'm all for making things lightweight as long as it is well balanced. If anyone can do it, it's Apple!
The problem with the netbooks is the display becomes top heavy and the base isn't wide enough to support it so it can easily tip. I'm all for making things lightweight as long as it is well balanced. If anyone can do it, it's Apple!
For the weight savings, carbon fiber doesn't necessarily have to be 75% lighter. The part could be 75% percent lighter, because carbon fiber is stronger than aluminum: therefore Apple can use less of a lighter material in the same design. I wish all Apples products would shift from aluminum to carbon fiber. Yumm
Carbon fibre is a pretty strong material. No idea about heat dissipation, but Apple is trying to be more green. Doubt they will use it...
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Carbon fiber is some pretty neat stuff but I'm not too sure how well it would work as a possible case for the MBA. It would make it quite a big lighter if Apple can pull it off. It also probably would make the case a bit more scratch resistant (not that the Al case isn't already pretty scratch resistant).
Carbon fiber is some pretty neat stuff but I'm not too sure how well it would work as a possible case for the MBA. It would make it quite a big lighter if Apple can pull it off. It also probably would make the case a bit more scratch resistant (not that the Al case isn't already pretty scratch resistant).
Yeah, it would make a lot more sense to make the top carbon fiber instead. I still won't be able to afford an Air, but it would be more tempting.
oh, that's how it's described, is it?
*rollseyes*
it's also incredibly expensive to manufacture, not to mention easily damaged. "Strong" does not always mean "resilient" Carbon fiber is effectively used to replace heavy steel sheetmetal on cars because it can be very thin with layers of protective clearcoat to keep it from fraying/tearing/etc. It is not, when uncoated, particularly good at dealing with abrasive situations.
It doesn't conduct heat very well at all. It is not rigid at all.
It is not going to have anything to do with the outside of a macbook ANYTHING until they can make it in sheets for roughly the same cost per weight at aluminum...and that's not any time soon, kiddos. Maybe never. Unless we run out of aluminum.
I assume they would make the bottom plate thinner in the process. I doubt the bottom plate is crucial to structural integrity (did that come out star-treky?
) because the unibody is what holds the whole thing together. Carbon fiber, if manufactured specifically for that piece, would be pretty durable. I wonder about the finish though, you pretty much have to go glossy.
Texallium would be cool!
I like the idea of carbon fiber, but Texallium would be even cooler. It's usually seen in silver -- which would fit well with the family look (but with the groovy fiber texture) -- but it's also available tinted in other colors.
I like the idea of carbon fiber, but Texallium would be even cooler. It's usually seen in silver -- which would fit well with the family look (but with the groovy fiber texture) -- but it's also available tinted in other colors.
The TiBook had a carbon fibre frame. A cheap one, but nonetheless a CF frame.
For the weight savings, carbon fiber doesn't necessarily have to be 75% lighter. The part could be 75% percent lighter, because carbon fiber is stronger than aluminum: therefore Apple can use less of a lighter material in the same design. I wish all Apples products would shift from aluminum to carbon fiber. Yumm
No they couldn't even use the same shape as carbon fibre flexes and isn't really any good in compression given the same thickness etc.
i imagine that a carbon fiber model would dramatically increase production time in terms if
1) laying up the carbon fiber
2) letting it cure
they should stick to aluminum imo
well said.
also has anyone on this thread worked with cf? trust me, it can be a huge pain in the ass to work with.
1) laying up the carbon fiber
2) letting it cure
they should stick to aluminum imo
well said.
also has anyone on this thread worked with cf? trust me, it can be a huge pain in the ass to work with.
The cf frame used on the tibook wasn't laid up. They used short fibres, and I'm pretty certain they simply molded it in a form with epoxy. They would propably do the same with a case, meaning that it would be far from lay-up quality.
The other thing to remebmer is that Apple probably goes through HUNDREDS of ideas like this every year and rejects 99% of them.
So some guy happened to see this one and told Appleinsider. Whoo...what are the odds this is gonna be one of the 1% of ideas that make it out the door?
It's not like they're reporting an actual change on the assembly line. They just saw a test unit.
So some guy happened to see this one and told Appleinsider. Whoo...what are the odds this is gonna be one of the 1% of ideas that make it out the door?
It's not like they're reporting an actual change on the assembly line. They just saw a test unit.
cost
seems like it would make it more expensive which is exactly what not to do. It seems the cons outweigh the pros.
seems like it would make it more expensive which is exactly what not to do. It seems the cons outweigh the pros.
carbon fibre isnt a cheaper alternative to aluminium. Its hovering around $40-60 per yard (depending on the weave) on average. The top body is currently anodized, so the closest way to match it would be to paint it unfortunately which would look and feel rather cheap. I'm assuming apple would use the injection molding method Sony used in some of its laptops with the shredded fibres, it looks rather cool actually. The best picture I can find of it is here http://reviews.digitaltrends.com/images/reviews/952/20040106_1743231.gif
As far as CF being eco friendly the only information I could find on that was that Boeing can reground it and reuse it that way. Epoxy isn't particularly great either since it can contain formaldehyde and what not but there are some without used in eco surfboards.
As far as CF being eco friendly the only information I could find on that was that Boeing can reground it and reuse it that way. Epoxy isn't particularly great either since it can contain formaldehyde and what not but there are some without used in eco surfboards.
Another idea...
How 'bout if they molded all the components directly into the casing material, rather than assembling a discrete case around all the electronics? Yeah, impossible to service, but it would be sooo thin and light!
(and mold in a non-carrier-specific 3G GSM card with a user-accessible SIM slot)
How 'bout if they molded all the components directly into the casing material, rather than assembling a discrete case around all the electronics? Yeah, impossible to service, but it would be sooo thin and light!
(and mold in a non-carrier-specific 3G GSM card with a user-accessible SIM slot)