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Tulse

macrumors regular
Nov 3, 2003
220
0
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.
 

m-dogg

macrumors 65816
Mar 15, 2004
1,338
4
Connecticut
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?
 

canadianmacguy

Contributor
Apr 8, 2002
42
24
San Diego
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..
 

johnnowak

macrumors 6502
Jul 24, 2003
498
1
New York, New York
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

macrumors regular
Nov 3, 2003
220
0
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

macrumors 6502
Jun 17, 2003
275
0
Boston, MA
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 mean…what’s 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.
 

wdlove

macrumors P6
Oct 20, 2002
16,568
0
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.' :cool:
 

Mr. Anderson

Moderator emeritus
Nov 1, 2001
22,568
6
VA
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 :D

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

macrumors 6502a
Dec 17, 2002
529
0
Iowa
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

macrumors 68000
Mar 17, 2003
1,783
21
UK
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

macrumors 6502a
Oct 24, 2002
665
0
Greenville SC
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

macrumors member
Jan 27, 2004
86
0
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.
 

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,936
156
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

macrumors member
Mar 29, 2004
98
0
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. :rolleyes:
 

dernhelm

macrumors 68000
May 20, 2002
1,649
137
middle earth
LOL

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

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...

:eek:
 

bennetsaysargh

macrumors 68020
Jan 20, 2003
2,367
1
New York
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. :rolleyes:

it would be worthy of a poop thread though ;) :p
 
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