Pictures of Apple's new MacBook leaked on Taiwanese site?
We can't say for sure these are the real deal, but if recent leaks of iPhone 3G production models are any indication, we might just be looking at Apple's new MacBook. It's a bit hard to make out what's happening in these photos, but to our eyes we're seeing the back of a metal laptop lid, as well as the as-yet-unused inner panel of the display. The text clearly reads MacBook, which falls right in line with rumors that the next iteration of the smaller laptops would be aluminum just like their big brothers. Right now it's anyone's guess if these pics are legit or not -- but you can be sure we'll be keeping a close watch on this one as these pictures emanate from the same site carrying the last supposed leak. Two more shots after the break.




















You sure this isn't a pic of the lid of an MBA?
with the word air "shopped out
Good point - it looks just like the MacBook Air lid without any differences.
The MacBook's plastic construction and old design is a major reason why I didn't buy an Apple last Oct. But gosh -- do I wish I could just run Leopard. :( Maybe next time.... or unless I can sell my current laptop.
I don't really have anything to say. I just want to bombard this guy's inbox!
i agree with joe.
That's not nice, Joe.
i see what you (and i) did there, craig
No worries, Joe, i stopped using the e-mail this account is attached to months ago
oh I see that I clicked the "E-Mail me when someone replies to this comment" box. That was double clever. I'll stick it to you, then i'll stick it to me!
the apple logo is way off center
EPIC FAIL!
The apple logo is way off in the first photo.
this is obviously bogus and theorizing on *how* it is bogus seems a little odd in my opinion...
Alan & Bob: or the lid could be partially covered on the left side by another sheet of the foam wrap it's laying on. Hard to tell from the lighting, but I can't really see the same rounding on that "edge" as on the others. Doesn't necessarily mean it isn't a fake, but that could be why the logo appears off-center.
Isn't Engadget a great place to get the weekly Mac rumors? Oh wait, I thought that was TUAW...
Woohoo! A see-through topless MacBook. Now every company will be trying to copy that feature. Why is Apple so darn innovative? Body fluid-leaking excitement on the way in about a month or so.
My avatar thinks the photo is just a Photoshopped picture of an dis-assembled MacBook Pro. What the heck does some lower primate know of the Apple genius? Lookie, lookie, it's the new MacBookie.
THIS TUESDAY!!!
APPLE PRESS CONFRENCE!!!
THE NEW MACBOOK RELEASE DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED!
TRUST ME ON THIS.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 14, 2008
EXCLUSIVELY FROM [R]
And we all know it's a fake.
What a phony.
We also know that this might be real.
Remember the Fat Nano rumor ?
iPhone 3G ?
look at the apple logo looks all wrong, fake!
yeah it seems a bit off-center
@Colin: You're a bit off center!!
:P
Um, I think that's because about 25% of the left side is obscured by a foam sleeve.
I think everyone said that on the 'leaked fake' iPod nano3, Alu keyboard news
then it turns out to be true.
Doesn't aluminum make for bad wifi reception?
The current MacBooks get much better reception than the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.
I don't ever see a different with my Air. I get reception all the same as folks that bring in MacBooks or other plastic PCs into my apartment, classes etc.
my MBP has HORRIBLE wifi reception, I just hope they drom metal in their cases(or at least the screen contour where the antennaes are
Yeah, aluminum isn't good for wifi reception, but the antenna on the MBP is under a rubbery-plastic strip on the hinge (between the keyboard and the screen) so it's not completely shrouded in aluminum... I haven't had any major issues with mine, but it's range isn't quite as good as my mates plastic HP laptop.
My aluminum G4 has always had reception issues - my work PC has full bars, Mac is at halfway :(
That's probably why the reception is terrible;
Think about it: 2.4gHz signals radiate in a kind of "doughnut", where the center of the doughnut is pierced by the antenna, causing the signal to radiate outwards. The longer the antennae, the flatter the doughnut (and longer the range but narrower the vertical margin). This is why most antennae are vertical, to provide the maximum horizontal coverage.
If a MBP had to place the antennae along the hinge because of the construction material, it would either be very stubby (providing a dense, almost spherical dispersion pattern) or would be a vertical torus slicing through the user and radiating out counter to the way we expect.
Someone grab a signal meter and see if it gets better/worse when you spin the laptop around in the same plane as a router (at a 200+ foot range). I'm curious now, but don't own one of these things.
Hooray, aluminum. Anybody know when these are supposed to be released?
they're already out. run to the apple store and don't come back! =)
actually i'm running Leopard. good try, obnoxious little fangirl
lol...erik is a dumbass
Is it me or does the first picture look really fake?
It looks short, with the apple going the wrong way.
(in my best Agent Smith voice)
ohhhh, Mr. Topolsky
13.
The apple logo on the first photo is facing sideways and not the proper way round.
Although it says MacBook, this looks exactly like the MacBook Air. I'm wondering why Apple would want the two to look exactly alike. Unless the MacBook was significantly thicker or I dunno, had a downfall which made users want to spend the extra cash on a MacBook Air.
Here's some some top secret info smuggled out of Apple's heavily fortified Chinese assembly plants by spies that are ever fearful for their own lives now. Hold on, this is really going to knock the socks off all you Mac fans.
THE NEXT GEN MACBOOK IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE A RECTANGULAR SLAB OF ALUMINUM WITH SLIGHTLY ROUNDED CORNERS.
Remember, you've read it here first.
My god the sheer genius of it.
NO WAI. You must be some kind of fucking psychic/sorcerer/insider.
Many Bothans died to bring us this information.
more fakes
But does it cut cake?
only time will tell.....
maybe it cuts cake, but does it blend?
cheese cake?
Oh, THAT's why they call it the air!
Spammers like you should get a life!
How about.... NO!
In all the history of Apple computer have any of these leaked photos EVER been real?
Yes, the PowerMac G5, PowerMac G4 Cube, iPod 'fat' nano, Aluminum Keyboards, iMac 'lamp' G4,... bunch more
Yes, quite a few of them. Remember the leaked iPhone/iPhone 3G? 2nd and 3rd gen Nano? iPod Classic? A hell of a lot of them have been real, and this frankly looks spot on.
the font just doesn't look right
The font is Myriad Pro, the same that's on the rest. The first photo is cut off; there's a piece of white paper or some sort of material covering it on the right side.
All that said, It looks exactly like a MacBook Air display panel with the "Air" text taken out. Notice how the MacBook text is not centered; it's too far to the left.
I haven't gotten a chance to take a MacBook Air apart, and Apple replaces the whole display module as one, so I can't check the take-apart manuals to compare, but I've used a MacBook Air enough to say that's the same from the outside.
Don't people crucify other computer manufacturers for making products that are silver? And how long has Apple been getting away with this? Damn.
With that in mind, if they show me a black aluminum Macbook (preferably with anything BUT intel integrated graphics and preferably without a premium price tag just to get the cooler-looking color,) I will show them my credit card numbers without delay.
The difference: Apple's products are actually aluminum, not just "2001 DVD Player" silver plastic.
Although another color option would be nice, a la iPod.
amen
i heard you have to be under 18 to go to a site with the word "totally" in it. can you allay my fears, spammer sir?
For once I agree with the "teh fakez" people -- but only on the top picture, it doesn't look proportional.
There's something covering the left side, chief, look again. It looks perfectly proportional if you take that into account. But I guess you don't read. Or look carefully.
Tracing a straight line in the middle of the screen, it makes us right between the B and O, same place than on my actual MacBook.
Doesn't seem to be a fake picture, not saying it's not a fake macbook neither....
the top pic does not have the logo the wrong way, nor it's the wrong shape. The protective plastic is covering the section that appears to be missing, which makes the proportions look wrong and the logo sideways, but look closely and you'll see the flash is creating a shadow over the protective plastic. the proportions and the logo orientation are right.
may I add that you have to be a jerkoff to waste people's time to post up pure B.S.?
And yes, they're all fake.. whats with the white cut outs on the inside of the Macbook Air screen?
And its hollow.. even a more obvious reason to just say thats a fake...
Nick
hurray engadget another one,
to you apple must be the sun,
but at least for your own effin' sake,
Dont post news that are obviously FAKE!!!!!
MICROSOFT FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
ok i'm taking bets that SINNN and rony are the same person. 5 to 1 odds?
Am I the only one who doesn't want a metal case on a MacBook?
I specifically prefer the plastic for being lighter, cooler to the touch, and sturdier. Everyone I know who has owned a MetalBook over the years has had them dinged up. I guess there are trade-offs to everything, but if given the choice between a metal or a plastic low-end MacBook, I would choose plastic every time.
The Macbook [13"] is within a pound or so of the 15" Macbook Pro. Therefore, your argument on plastic being lighter is unfounded, since although aluminum is denser than polycarb, that does not necessarily translate directly into laptop design and weight.
I don't believe it.
Needs moar site whoring with moar url watermarks to be real. Srsly.
YA RLY...i'd better snatch applespooner.com before they add it to their portfolio
oh I see that I clicked the "E-Mail me when someone replies to this comment" box. That was double clever. I'll stick it to you, then i'll stick it to me!
REAL !!!!
Exactly, you're a spammer.....
You're sure is MBA's case?
Look at the second photo, the one that should be the screen part. Isn't it thicker than a MBA? (I'm look at the bottom part, the one in a clear color).
The fake hint is at the first photo. Why the hell is that apple turned clockwise?
The wafer-thin aluminum is less desirable to me than a high quality plastic-like material.
I'm in the market to buy a Mac laptop, and am holding off for the supposed new ones.
Honestly, I do believe that this is the real deal. The only people who get to see it before announcement are the factory workers who make it, and as with all of these it is these factory workers who then release spy shots of them, even in component form. They even manage to eBay them in some cases (Aluminium Keyboard).
ah phannyboy......[sorry did I spell your name wrong?] with all due respect to SINNN, my rendering of the english language frankly is a wee bit better than his incoherent blabberings....I put the blame for that on apple and SINNN's ipoo overuse...though I still respect him more than you seeing that english is obviously his second language..MICROSOFT FOREVERRRRRRRRR!!!!!
p.s. so why dont I bet on how crappy your life is ....that would make more sense :)
At first I thought the apple was the wrong way round. But looking closer you can see the lid is partialy covered by foam and is correct.
Also the logo font is set in Myriad exactly like the MacBook I am typing this on.
This just might be real.
Boy do I wish I had one of those 3g ophones...
whatever it ends up looking like, I'm sure it will be as bland as this
this just looks bad
not blurry. must be fake!
I never understood why Apple didn't have a consumer and a pro version of the 13 inch MacBook with decent graphics and such.
Maybe the Books have been influenced by the Air. It is quite a nice design, and would translate just fine to a thickerer machine.
Just when I thought Engadget mgiht finally run out of non-stories to write about its #1 heroes, Apple, the boys pull this fabulous non-event out of the bag!
Great work lads. This is what news is all about!
Lame.
Engadget lesson #1: Not interested just keep scrolling...don't bitch.
That IS NOT a MacBook Air display assembly. Look at hinge holes, all current Mac laptop top have protruding half pipe which runs the length of the air vents and houses the cables and hinges. I don't know what this is a picture and neither do any of you. But to say it's a fake right away is a bit much, Almost all of the recent major product releases have been leaked (MacBook Air, iPhone 3g etc...). Either Apple does not try as hard to hide these things these days or the fan base and interest in these rumors has grown. Either way the keynote is not the surprise it used to be.
Fake or not fake it's bound to be just one more overpriced ,overmarketed turd for illiterate teenagers like the rest of apple's PCs
Ummm... to all those calling this fake because the Apple logo is not centered: did it ever occur to you that the thin sheet of packing foam that the lid is sitting upon, is folded over the top of the lid. In essence, making it look more square than rectangular?
Anyone?
No?
Ok.
Bye.
D-
See me.
This is just the MacBook Air with the "Air" removed after the "MacBook".
I don't think a rumor qualifies as "Breaking News"
..
or is it because it's Apple?
Did any of you notice that the screen folds like a convertible tablet. This plus the new touch glass stuff = you are looking at the shell of the yet to be announced / released Mac tablet.
FTW!
Apple obviously made the air as a stepping stone for a tablet computer. Looks like they may finally be ready to make the screen flip over and touch it.
?
Doesn't look like a convertible lappy, slate-tablet seems more likely.
Does anyone else notice that it looks like the lid is folded back on itself in the second picture? Could this be done to create a touch tablet?
I agree... the reason the logo is vertical is that might be the casing for the rumored tablet; Although it would still be off centered.
Engadget posts almost a new Mac rumor every week. How about Dell, HP, Sony, and Toshiba rumors?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/24/hp-mulling-lower-cost-mini-note-laptop/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/02/sony-secretly-working-on-a-ps3-motion-controlling-remote/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/20/dell-studio-hybrid-mini-pc-leak-reveals-specs-new-casing/
Believe me, there are many, many more where those came from.
Where's the clutch cover? I work on macs and unless apple has completely re-designed the way that the screen communicates with the rest of the computer, that's not real. There's a clutch cover that holds the inverter board in all modern macs. There's no visible way for the clutch cover to attache to the bezel in the pictures. bogus.
Surely that's fake. Look at the iSight at the top, then look at the Macbook label at the bottom. It's off centre - looks like it would be on centre for the "Macbook Air" label.
Ugly.