Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Click to enlarge
500xipadcarbonfiber01.jpg
 
Ooooohhhh they've encased it in carbonite!

Oh, they've encased It in carbonite. IPad should be quite well protected. If it survived the freezing process, that is.
D069A26C.jpg
 
I don't see it... they would go liquid metal before carbon fiber. They've already said this by investing in liquid metal.
 
I don't know if Apple would want to switch its devices from light aluminum color to black color. Look at all those TV shows and movies where Apple products are in use. I'm not talking about the paid placements, but the unpaid ones. Even though that laptop has a decal placed over the Apple logo on the lid, you know darn well that's an Apple laptop. If they switched to plain black these bonus placements would not be as recognizable.

That said, I believe there is a way to paint carbon fiber different colors. I'm not sure they would go with the woven look, either, unless it was fine-grained - like that dark gray fabric pattern they use behind many iOS scrolling screens?
 
I, for one, and a huge patron of using Carbon Fiber. I think it's a great idea, and it's backed up by the Apple.com color change.

One user did point out flaws in Carbon Fiber under harsh elements like rain or snow, but the more I think about it, I won't use my iPad in a hurricane.

I think it's going to be great, and I'm excited about this one. It's a shame they didn't use it for the iPhone 3G / 3GS, though.
 
Does carbon fiber still have that woven look? Or is that just one particular incarnation of it?

The Carbon Fiber that is Exposed on cars and random stuff is Braided. It is strong and light and the braid can be felt unless lacquer is put over it. It does not have to be braided and often unexposed Structural CF is not.
There are also a million ways to make CF, and most of the stuff we see of CF, on accesories, and on Hondas and Toyotas are very cheap and not up to the standards that the Chassis of any number of Supercars are built with. Pagani Zonda, Koenigsegg, Ferrari F50, Enzo, McLaren F1, etc.


As far as what it looks like...
Common Braided CF:
carbon-fiber-toilet.jpg


The New Pagani Zonda R uses Carbo-Titanium and I think that is what the iPad should use:
pagani_zonda_r_carbon___d06_by_m2m_design-d3815p8.jpg

2009-pagani-zonda-r-front-angle-picture-588x441.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Aluminum is horrible for Wi-Fi

Apple's aluminum laptops have the absolute worst Wi-Fi reception in comparison to every other laptop on the market, and it has always been that way. That is because aluminum blocks Wi-Fi signals. Apple's plastic laptops have always had great Wi-Fi reception. That is because plastic does not block Wi-Fi signals. In regards to the first iPhone (which had an aluminum body), Apple switched to plastic for the second and third revisions. That is because the the aluminum blocked both cellular and Wi-Fi signals.

Fanboys will deny all of the above to the bitter end, because for them, form factor is more important than functionality. The Wi-Fi reception on the iPad is poor in comparison to plastic tablets. It will be a step in the right direction if Apple finally abandons aluminum for carbon fiber, or for any other material that does not block Wi-Fi signals.
 
Ew, I didn't believe you so I looked up some images.

It looks really disgusting. I don't think Apple is going to be moved to it anytime soon unless they have a way of making it not look like it deserves to be smashed into the pavement....

Carbon Fiber has been used on musical instruments for quite a while now and if there's a group that cares about the tactile element, its musicians. It can be made to feel great. Its just a design choice.
And comparing it to uses in auto bodies is just silly. We're talking about pieces 10" compared to huge body panels. Completely different applications.

I'd grab up a CF iPad in a second.
 
it would depend how much lighter the carbon fiber would make it. i kinda like the aluminum look better. it just feels quality in your hands.
 
...
Fanboys will deny all of the above to the bitter end, because for them, form factor is more important than functionality. .

Way to throw in ad hominem insults to completely negate any valid point you may have had.
 
For what it is worth, Gruber didn't first drop the carbon fiber hint in his post last night.

He brought up that he thought it might be included to reduce weight in a recent Talk Show episode with Dan Benjamin.
 
This is my issue with the rumor.

Why go to the added expense for something who's main benefit is strength when that clearly isn't needed?

I think the primary added benefit of CF is weight, not strength.

Given that the aluminum case is a quarter of the weight of the object it's an important direction to consider. If they can unify the glass with the LCD as they have with the iPhone, they can lose another quarter.
 
just waiting for the Liquidmetal fans to start up again..........
:D

too late...... it's started already....... people, do some research on liquidmetal...... if it was applicable/economically viable, apple would already have used it..........

and a group of us tried to contact them to purchase shares/stocks......... months ago, we are still waiting for a reply............ something is wrong over there.........
 
Last edited:
It is a good sign, the only problem is that the current aluminum case also serves as a high gain antenna and that will be problematic.

I don't think that's the case (no pun intended). The wifi antennas peek through RF-transparent "windows" in the front bezel and behind the apple logo on the back. 3G models have a large section of the aluminum cut out and replaced with plastic so its antennas can function. I'm 99% sure none of the radios are in any way attached (electrically) to the aluminum shell.

Carbon Fiber, on the other hand, is relatively transparent to RF, so it would eliminate the need for many of the "tricks" Apple currently has to use to get decent wireless performance out of the iPad.
 
It would be interesting to see what they coat it with to keep it from turning yellow. Also would be interesting to see if it is Wet vs. Dry carbon fiber. Wet carbon fiber is garbage.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.