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Apple to Adopt Carbon Fiber for Lighter MacBook Air?
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Life imitates art? Many months ago someone mocked up this fake for how the MacBook would look with a carbon fiber case. These images floated around all the tech sites, so I guess Apple saw them and decided it was an interesting idea to investigate.
http://www.techfresh.net/world’s-first-carbon-fiber-macbook/
http://www.techfresh.net/world’s-first-carbon-fiber-macbook/
You know that would have all the chips, hdd, capacitators et al to be exposed directly to each little bumb, right?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!
IF you're using weave. Carbon fibre doesn't necessarily comes in weave, sheets or even yards.
Well, it's the cheapest, at least.
Yes, but that's quite the large parts.
I know this from boatbuilding that epoxy is far more toxic and has bigger a bigger impact on the environment that even glassfiber (per kg, that is).
However, boats build with epoxy as opposed to glass fibre tend to last longer. Anyway, a CF-shelled computer is hardly good for the environment when compared to the same computer with an alu shell.
On the other hand, who's to say they would even use epoxy? They could be using some substandard eco-glue to pretend to have all the benefits, yet still be "eco friendly" – you know, like their glass screens which apparently is a combination of glass and plastic.
Not only that, they seem to have perfected it with glass fibre parts where the antennas are.
aluminum is 1.5 times heaver than carbon fiber if the part have equal size. But if the carbon is stronger they could reduce the thickness slightly. Carbon is 1.8 g/cm3 while Al is 2.7 Another way to think of this is if the old part is 3 grams the carbon part will be 2 grams.
There are processes that re-cycle carbon fiber. This was worked out by some airplane manufacturers because so much of the newer planes are caron fiber.
They don't tell was what the matrix is. The fiber must be embedded in a solid of some kind. Epoxy is the cheapest is easiest but they might be using carbon. carbon-carbon composites are very strong and heat resistant (The space shuttle's disk brake rotors are carbon-carbon) but the stuff is expensive. If it is carbon-carbon then I'd think it would be easy to re-cycle. Simply grind it to powder.
OMG, wouldn't that make the MBA "too light"?
One of my friend has a MBA and I always tell him that one day, his MBA will slip from his laps because it's so lightweight already...
One of my friend has a MBA and I always tell him that one day, his MBA will slip from his laps because it's so lightweight already...
Once again: CF in that thickness would flex even more than the TiBook did. Way more. You have to take more into account than pure "strength" (even there, there are many different measurement. How good do you think CF is in compression?). However, Apple didn't do that with the TiBook, so why would they here.
And again, yes, but we're talking much bigger, thicker and much more solid objects when talking about plane parts.
motulist - It doesn't look bad in the mock up.
In the flesh I find carbon fibre looks tacky. Hopefully just one of many ideas.
Cheers,
OW
In the flesh I find carbon fibre looks tacky. Hopefully just one of many ideas.
Cheers,
OW
Woo hoo! .22 lbs lighter and still just one inconveniently placed USB port. Progress, man, progress.
what is with the obsession over weight? shedding a whole .25 lbs is not worth it. If people/apple actually care about that little of a difference, as I have said before, they need to grow a pair.
Not to mention the fact that Carbon Fiber is most likely going to bump up the price even further, as it is MUCH more expensive and harder to mass-produce than aluminum...
Not to mention the fact that Carbon Fiber is most likely going to bump up the price even further, as it is MUCH more expensive and harder to mass-produce than aluminum...
someone did this themselves
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/03/carbon_fiber_macbook_air.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/03/carbon_fiber_macbook_air.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
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If they do it for the regular MacBook, will it float? It's already lighter than any other MacBook before it.
Carbon Fiber MBA
I say do it. It will be hella cool. I'd rather see the whole thing carbon fiber.
I say do it. It will be hella cool. I'd rather see the whole thing carbon fiber.
yes, sounds promising, but:
- It's 100g lighter, which is roughly 2 packets of small chips - so it isn't that significant.
- Heat dispersion -- metal disperses heat better, but I don't know about carbon fibre. Can't judge that too soon.
- They must sort out the RAM and the battery. It's a very expensive laptop that you won't chuck it away after 2 years, so if I have it I would like to upgrade the RAM (or replace the battery) after a certain amount of time.
- will the price increase? it's so expensive already (yes, we pay for the form-factor), so I hope the price remains constant, or lower, but it won't happen and people will say if I don't like that then I should shut up. so I'll shut up now.
If fully enclosed in carbon fibre it will be worse than it is now. Carbon fibre is electrically conductive and as such will act as shielding, blocking radios.
Ah darn, I am not a physicist. Is there a material that satisfies Steve Job's thinness and lightness ego while also being functional (by which I mean good wireless reception)?
I LOL'd. But really thought, 3.00 pounds to 2.78? Is Apple catering to 10 year old girls? I mean seriously, 3 pounds is NOTHING. Lift some weights for God sakes.
As others have said, how about updating some outdated products first (iMac, Mac Mini, the remaining ACD line) before bother with the MBA. I mean sure, incorporate Carbon Fiber over time, but let's focus on some other things first.
I wish Apple would be a computer company again.
I doubt there is a viable end-all material. However, Lenovo seems to be doing the right thing: Combining different materials, using frames and what not for different purposes. Basically just using sound engineering. Which, frankly goes against what apple seems to be doing with their attempt to simplify, simplify, simplify in order to sell to the not-so demanding consumer.
Alas, thinness and lightness for the sake of just thinness and lightness is becoming an irrational obsession of a certain person in a certain company. Not much one can do here. As long as Apple's OS is better than the competition, we would have to either eat it or go Hackintosh.
I don't get it...
Do people really want a device that feels lighter then the MacBook Air, or is it seriously just a silly urge to push it as far as it will go? Personally, I like my devices to feel solid, and a feather != solid to me. Are people straining their backs carrying around the air?
Do people really want a device that feels lighter then the MacBook Air, or is it seriously just a silly urge to push it as far as it will go? Personally, I like my devices to feel solid, and a feather != solid to me. Are people straining their backs carrying around the air?