'Brick' MacBook Pro leaked in up-close spy shot?

Since we heard those "Brick" rumors the other day, the mill has been all but silent... until now. It's hard to tell exactly what we're looking at here, but damned if this doesn't look like some fancy new MacBook Pro carved out of a single piece of metal (except for those sides, so, there goes that theory). We'll let you make your own decisions after giving this the once over, but if this is what Apple has in store for us, our curiosity is definitely piqued.

Update: MacRumors reports that the photo originates from this Chinese site.

Update 2: More pics appear to have surfaced, check them out here!

[Leindurstit @ Oct 8th 2008 3:19PM]

Seriously?

[Jack @ Oct 8th 2008 3:21PM]

..|..

My thoughts

[Axel @ Oct 8th 2008 3:53PM]

looks like a regular macbook pro with some shiny plastic on it.

[Saad @ Oct 8th 2008 3:53PM]

why would they put in the headphone and mic jacks but not anything else?

[PederG @ Oct 8th 2008 3:57PM]

that's just the conductive metal, not the actual port..

[dg @ Oct 8th 2008 4:10PM]

The port line-up and the metal on the audio in/out ports makes this look more like a 15-inch MacBook. Especially because the space between the keyboard and the edge looks just a little bigger than a 15-inch MBP (Just like a 12-inch iBook was a little bigger than a 12-inch PowerBook).

Anyone else think so?

[dg @ Oct 8th 2008 4:14PM]

P.S. And because it looks like some sort of mini-DVI port or something between the USB and Audio-in there.

[matt @ Oct 8th 2008 5:29PM]

At no point in the articles about this is there any evidence it is actually an apple part....
The Chinese forum just keeps timing out as well.

[Johnathan @ Oct 8th 2008 3:19PM]

please please... just come out with the damn thing!

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 9th 2008 3:15AM]

Waiting for the new MacBook !!!! Hope its around 12" inch o 13" inch... I dont want a 15" inch notebook....

[grull27 @ Oct 8th 2008 3:19PM]

Where did the keys go?!

[ZaxCG2 @ Oct 8th 2008 4:42PM]

Leave the internet and never come back.

[BCre8v @ Oct 8th 2008 6:06PM]

There aren't any keys. That's why it's called the MacBrick Pro.

[nizzy1115 @ Oct 8th 2008 7:57PM]

Macs are not supposed to be used!

[abe200x @ Oct 8th 2008 3:23PM]

I hope we're getting a new Apple laptop, it's a bit overdue.

[Raheem @ Oct 8th 2008 3:20PM]

Hollowed out?

[Raheem @ Oct 8th 2008 6:41PM]

Erm... why is that low ranked? It looks like it's been hollowed out?

[i.c. weiner @ Oct 8th 2008 7:37PM]

I don't think you realize that asking the readers why they low-ranked isn't going to make them rank you higher.

[maveric101 @ Oct 8th 2008 8:29PM]

maybe because it's obvious? i dunno. i wouldn't have done anything, but i upranked you to cancel out someone else. people here can be very assuming and quick to judge.

[From My Cube @ Oct 8th 2008 3:20PM]

very cool looking, hopefully we will know soon!

[BluesK1d @ Oct 8th 2008 4:01PM]

I agree. I am not even a Mac fan but that is totally badass. To me the pic looks pretty clear.

[somedude @ Oct 8th 2008 3:20PM]

cue fanboy exaltation in 3...2....1.....

[iansilv @ Oct 8th 2008 3:27PM]

Ha Ha LOL! Apple Powns you noob! Apple Rulz and Microsux sux!

How's that? :)

[naz @ Oct 8th 2008 3:21PM]

that picture really sucks
lol

[mrhammerstein @ Oct 8th 2008 3:35PM]

it was taken with an iPhone.

[spass @ Oct 8th 2008 3:40PM]

Yet another sign that iPhone camera needs a serious upgrade.
You can't even take a decent spy shot with it.

[ibsnowedin @ Oct 8th 2008 3:48PM]

I bet yeah that Apple releases these crappy ass pictures on upcoming macbooks just to bring back the hype... They are sneaky that way.

[JohnnyGTO @ Oct 8th 2008 3:23PM]

I wants! Lets see ebay the old powerbook and macbookpro and... ?

[AppleFanBoy @ Oct 8th 2008 3:22PM]

Anything from Apple is good. Even the fart from Steve job is good, lol.

[toxicpiano @ Oct 8th 2008 3:23PM]

You are a terrible troll.

[happy_penguin @ Oct 8th 2008 3:34PM]

Made me LOL. :D :D

[Jon @ Oct 8th 2008 3:22PM]

That is really, really hot.

When the entire top of the laptop is a single piece of aluminum, and the keyboard is (presumably) screwed directly into it, there will be absolutely no keyboard flex.

And that is sexy.

[Juxtah @ Oct 8th 2008 3:48PM]

You know keyboard flex is determined by the backplate right? Not the surface it is showing on, and unless they have broken the laws of physics and can install a keyboard during the Brick process the backplate will need to be a separate piece

[Precurse @ Oct 8th 2008 4:10PM]

Unless they carved the entire laptop out of aluminum .. Then it would truly be an iBrick

[Josh @ Oct 8th 2008 4:14PM]

I am not sure i understand how this is all that much different than the macbook pro on my desk, i have a single piece of aluminum for the top, and the bottom that is connected by a nice soft maleable piece of plastic that can take a beating on the edges.

What i don't understand is how a single piece of aluminum is better than multiple, isn't it easier to take apart and fix if it is multiple pieces? Can someone give me a real legitimate reason for making these things out of a single piece that makes them that much better than a typical laptop with a strong skeleton?

and to make this remotely close to answering your question: Keyboard flex doesn't seem to exist too much anymore, they back these things as tight as they can - i just pressed a finger down on the "g" key and saw no movement...

Engadget's comments have become so inane lately (after having read through the first page of comments)

[deyanimay @ Oct 8th 2008 5:17PM]

If its all one piece how do you remove the battery? Oh wait its a mac never mind.

[arkweld @ Oct 8th 2008 6:09PM]

"Can someone give me a real legitimate reason for making these things out of a single piece that makes them that much better than a typical laptop with a strong skeleton?"

Any joint is a weakness. It relies on two things to hold it together and that's two areas that need to be machined to exact specs and two things that can fail. The strength of the connector (screw, latch, glue etc.) and the durability of the fitting (slot, screw hole etc).

One piece should retain the same strength consistently of the entire piece if the material is not flawed. It also wouldn't need to be bent to shape which would weaken the material, since it would just be carved to that exact shape.

[Fitz @ Oct 8th 2008 9:24PM]

Hmmm...I guess that's why a WELDed joint is stronger than the native material itself. Where did you learn about material science?

[CueOminousMusic @ Oct 9th 2008 12:47AM]

Making it from one piece is not necessarily better than from a well designed collection of parts. It all depends on the stock you start out with and how you align stresses and defects. It does make for good sales copy, though.

It would be easy enough to cast or forge a case, and I'd be rather surprised if the current pros don't have die cast panels.

As a side note, welds may be stronger than the native material, due to being a mini casting, but the heat affected zone around the weld is usually weakened significantly.

[lowdef @ Oct 8th 2008 3:22PM]

how does a picture like this ever come around in the first place??? i mean does a factory worker just go hey i wanna take a really shitty picture of something that hasnt come out yet? Im not doubting the authenticity but I guess i just dont get it.

[JohnnyGTO @ Oct 8th 2008 3:47PM]

It's called free marketing. Apple dishes out a pic here, rumor there and we all run around talking about it. Consumerism is a blast!

[Adam @ Oct 8th 2008 3:42PM]

I'm almost positive that Apple purposely "leaks" this stuff to generate rumors and buzz around their [supposed] upcoming products.

[liin @ Oct 8th 2008 4:09PM]

If Apple leaks deliberately, their lawyers won't be fighting to get articles and even entire websites to be pulled.

[telepheedian @ Oct 8th 2008 4:14PM]

That's what they would want you to think. Plus, because of fierce competition, they can only safely leak so much, Microsoft admitted this when asked about why they are secretive about Zune updates until an announcement is made, I can only assume the same applies to Apple.

[Benson @ Oct 8th 2008 6:40PM]

@liin: You're confusing "deliberately" with "openly".

[liin @ Oct 9th 2008 3:23AM]

ThinkSecret did get shut down. Most did get pulled. Those weren't just pretending for public.

Siting Microsoft's practice and then saying Apple would have done the same isn't convincing and isn't logical at all. I have seen Nokia, Nikon, Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell and even Zeiss to pull the all too familiar tease of releasing bits of info that never add up to the big picture, and providing its audience with a countdown that'll reveal the mystery. But I've never seen Apple done one in the past decade. To me, Apple don't like to build anticipation, (especially when it'll postpone potential buyers of current stockpile), but the fans do. Apple like to just drop the bomb, at least Steve does.

[telepheedian @ Oct 9th 2008 12:24PM]

My point was, Apple is sneakier. They leak certain, non-vital bits out about the product, such as the design (past 2 generations of nano), without spoiling features that their competitors could use against them, (genius, etc.). ThinkSecret was probably one of the few sites that was looking for data (and was successful) beyond what Apple wanted the public to know before the launch, so they had to shut it down.

[Cybergypsy @ Oct 8th 2008 3:22PM]

that has been on my flickr all day LOL

[toxicpiano @ Oct 8th 2008 3:22PM]

I miss mr. blurry cam's blurry adventures :(

[spass @ Oct 8th 2008 3:46PM]

Are you calling iPhone cam "blurry"? oh nooo...