Apple mulling carbon-fiber parts for MacBook Air?

A new carbon-fiber cover for the underside of the MacBook Air could help the notebook lose some weight.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple may be searching for ways to make the MacBook Air even lighter.

AppleInsider reports that the company is investigating using materials enhanced with carbon fibers in some of the parts on a future MacBook Air. Given the time and energy Apple poured into the latest redesign of its notebooks, developing a new unibody chassis milled from a single block of aluminum, it's unlikely that the entire chassis would be replaced anytime soon.

But AppleInsider thinks the company could shave 0.22 pounds off the overall weight of the Air if it used some sort of carbon-fiber material for the bottom cover of the notebook. That may not sound like a lot, but it's within shouting distance of 10 percent, and could make for a really nice marketing slogan at some point in the future.

Apple considers the MacBook Air a sort of halo product for the Mac lineup, a demonstration of its engineering prowess that it knows won't be adopted by the mass market. Given the weight-loss formula could increase the production costs of the system, any future carbon-fiber MacBook Air would likely stay in that category.

[IsaiBarajas]

We can only wait to see what happens, before that we can only guess.

[saadman731]

I think that the MacBook Air is anorexic. Haha.

[JunkSiu]

Well, I really prefer they make the screen bigger and add additional usb port.

[cyberDJ-2038765336053745013836]

The Air is a POS no matter what it's made of.

Apple needs to put this idea into the REAL Macbooks.

BTW: If Apple wants to see how a make a proper carbon-fiber laptop, check out HP/VoodooPC 133 laptop.

[Tom Krazit]

Thanks for pointing out the Voodoo laptop, I should have also mentioned that Sony has done this.

[goodspeed8701]

When wapple want to roll out their carbon fibre "whatever" They will act like its a cutting edge technology. New to the human eye.

[spkrman6]

At $100.00 more for the Voodoo base configuration, with a smaller hard drive and lesser graphics, the Air is a better value by far, even without carbon fiber. Looks much nicer, too, even without 20 color choices, than the squarish, much thicker Voodoo.

[frank bruce]

Carbon - Fiber, is the second nature of the ACER Ferrari 5000 notebook
<http://global.acer.com/products/notebook/fr5000.htm>
The Apple Macintosh Air is an incredible machine but the cost consideration of using different materials might not make click here.
They (apple) might think about using Carbon - Fiber for other consumer products like a third generation of the iPhone or the iPod line, or a new high end product that we are not aware of.

[Vegaman_Dan]

I don't see how adding even more cost to the product will convince people to want to buy it that much more. Especially since Carbon fiber doesn't come in white.

Carbon fiber is incredible stuff. It is very lightweight and strong in tension. It's horrible in impacts though, so if you're counting on it to protect a laptop that gets dropped, forget it. You're better off with plastics or another material that isn't as brittle.

It can be done, and done well. It just can't be done cheaply. You'd have to increase the price of the unit another couple of hundred dollars to compensate, putting the unit even father out of reach of those very people that might buy it.

[Jack Gratteau]

Apple had been recruiting for engineers with carbon fiber experience for some time now. Carbon fiber skins would look slick on a desktop pro, and not have the issues of impact noted by Vegaman_Dan. Carbon fiber is usually black, but can be made in many colors. Fiber optic illumination can also be integrated into such a product and would be very cool.

[bakedpatato]

Well, with the margins Apple makes on their hardware, I can assume they can take a bit of a hit,and still end up on top.
I'm still not interested though. No Ethernet port is fail, IMHO.

[AppleSuxLeo]

How about some basics like ports and built-in EVDO/HSDPA ? As usual Mac for show , PC for GO !

[mbenedict]

Flashback from 2003:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5265/is_200311/ai_n20432289

"Sony Carbon Fiber Notebook Computers Unveiled"

So much for Apple innovation...

[TogetherinParis]

Apple should just offer carbon fiber cases, panels, keyboards, etc. as options. In some applications, weight means everything and those people should be able to pay more and get lighter weight machines. Astronauts would happily spend $20,000.00 on a hammer, $30,000 for a toilet seat if the cost could be justified in reduced propellant consumption.

[umcrouc0]

Apple should go with a carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic. Strong, light, dirt cheap to make in high volume and you can recycle it. Plus more damage resistant than a thermoset system.

[Dani210]

imagine CF for the back of iPod classics and iphones and ipod touches, that would be sick!

[make_or_break]

Wasn't the Acer Ferrari the first? Everyone else are just followers.

Apple copying someone else? And NOT being able to patent it for themselves, since others hold all the rights for the material development and I doubt they'll allow any company--Apple or otherwise--to limit market penetration. Doesn't seem likely...

All these carbon fiber laptop cases...has anyone ever tried to shatter one?