More pics of Apple's supposed new laptops surface

Oh Apple -- release some new laptops so this madness can end. The forums at MacRumors are abuzz over a Taiwanese site that's showing off pictures of what appears to be a very close cousin of that MacBook Pro-esque casing we saw earlier. This isn't the same model, surely, but it does bear a striking similarity in both design and materials -- and after lots of deliberation and comparisons, we're fairly sure this isn't the Air either (the hinge ends in a totally different spot in relation to the keys). That machined quality we noted in the earlier post is present, though as we said previously, the sides of these housings do look like separate pieces. Regardless, if any of this is even remotely true (and not another Photoshop from someone's mother's basement), Apple is indeed taking its laptops in an Air direction, which isn't surprising -- but signs of these being the end-result of new manufacturing process? The jury's still way out. One more pic after the break of that controversial side piece.

[Via MacRumors]

[ehru @ Oct 9th 2008 1:02AM]

That looks like somebody's house in the background.
Shouldn't it be in a factory?

[markey @ Oct 9th 2008 1:15AM]

assembly workers live in factories.

thus, no fake.

[oneofmany @ Oct 9th 2008 7:39AM]

markey, you are an idiot. Do you really think it's that easy to steal a product that has not been released? Plus those pictures are so bad that there is no way to tell if this is really aluminum or just a spray painted piece of plastic. I'd bet on the 2nd one. There is no way that Apple is seeding this one especially since the photos are taken in a house.

[Jash Sayani @ Oct 9th 2008 3:26AM]

They still haven't switched to LCD TVs...!!!

[rsiow2 @ Oct 9th 2008 7:50AM]

Markey is right actually, workers do live on the manufacturing site in dorms. This person's room is actually nicer then the normal assembly workers, i assume he is higher up the corporate ladder.

[Kamokazi @ Oct 9th 2008 9:17AM]

@one

You are the idiot. Dormitories for Chinese workers are a government requirement in most cases, as the workers are typically from remote provinces and will work at the factory for a few years and send money back home.

Secondly...why the hell do you think pics leak from China all the time? It's because it *is* relatively easy to swipe products...especially if you don't leave the factory grounds. Factories typically have a campus-style setup, with guards and gates going in, but inside, security can be more lax. So for someone to take this to their dormitory is mch more feasible.

Also, I am willing to bet that this is senior management...the room is far too nice to be a dormitory (unless it is a lounge type area) It is also very common for the factory owner (with some exceptions, Chinese factories have to be at least partially owned by Chinese citizens...or something to that effect) to have their residence on the factory grounds, along with top supervisors.

[Alex @ Oct 9th 2008 11:01AM]

Actually, is he in bed, under the covers, with the metal on his lap?

That's kinda weird.

[Jay @ Oct 14th 2008 1:14AM]

Looks Like The Mac book's no longer will come in plastic.

[Alex KanG @ Oct 13th 2008 10:02AM]

or this IS a fake? lol
and do factory workers really live in the factory? dont they have families to get to nd stuff? =\

[Terence McCormack @ Oct 9th 2008 1:02AM]

God, could you just release a new one so I can buy it?
I want to give you money Apple. Let me give you my money!
Please!

[who? @ Oct 9th 2008 3:45AM]

They accept alternative forms of payment as well...

[specialsyco @ Oct 9th 2008 1:02AM]

first? yay!

[Joppa @ Oct 9th 2008 1:04AM]

no? boo!

[lolec @ Oct 9th 2008 3:15AM]

OMG! does anyone notice that the guy in the picture only have 4 fingers??!

[ChrisTheFeral @ Oct 9th 2008 3:19AM]

@lolec I see four fingers and a thumb, his ring finger is dirty and kinda blends in with the floor, but there are 4 fingers and one thumb.

[lolec @ Oct 9th 2008 3:21AM]

Yea, but i made you go back and check didn't I ?

[Major4Play @ Oct 9th 2008 9:45AM]

Hate to point this out but everyone has four fingers , four fingers and a thumb, do people from your neighbourhood have more or less ?

[L8on @ Oct 9th 2008 1:04AM]

Spy shots have been rather accurate lately...

Real pix IMO

[Macha88 @ Oct 9th 2008 6:15PM]

other than the wavy shadow?

[Mohammed @ Oct 9th 2008 1:05AM]

oh.. I can't wait :#

[Skor @ Oct 9th 2008 1:06AM]

That opening for the trackpad looks just large enough to fit a...
MULTI-TOUCH TOUCH SCREEN INPUT DEVICE!?
Even I don't think that's going to happen.

[digitallysick @ Oct 9th 2008 1:49AM]

Agreed its a big open space for the trackpad has to be multi touch, taking bets?

[obiwan @ Oct 9th 2008 2:15AM]

Of course it's multi-touch-pad-sized. That's what will be in there. Apple couldn't let us down.

[jollyllama @ Oct 9th 2008 2:38AM]

For what it's worth, the multitouch trackpads in the current Macbook Pros (combined w/ MultiClutch to allow the user to set triggers) are freaking awesome. I'm a keyboard guy and I never thought I'd like it as much as I do, but after about 6 months, it's really hard to go back to my girlfriend's non-multitouch Macbook.

[airhead @ Oct 9th 2008 9:42AM]

Would that mean that we would have to give up cut and paste? :->

[ck @ Oct 10th 2008 12:34AM]

FWIW, miti-touch is in the current MacBooks, full stop. Two-finger scrolling is awesome and extremely hard to train yourself out of once you pick it up (which takes about two seconds).

[Mohammed @ Oct 9th 2008 1:12AM]

Guys,
check out the Taiwanese website. they added a third pic.. it looks weird..!!

[Skor @ Oct 9th 2008 1:50AM]

That's a pretty big cd slot. Are Laserdiscs coming back in style?

[Giroro @ Oct 9th 2008 2:47AM]

@skor,

maybe the CD slot is regular size, and the laptop is just smaller than you think it is.

[rock99rock @ Oct 9th 2008 9:56AM]

@Mohammed

Thank you for pointing that out, i would not have checked it otherwise.

That slot makes this thing look the size of an subnotebook/ultraportable. Or as it has been recently been renamed for unknown reasons, the "netbook".

[dt3k @ Oct 9th 2008 1:13AM]

The person has an old school TV if they worked for Apple shouldn't they have a nice LCD tv by now?

[msalivar @ Oct 9th 2008 1:32AM]

Not if they're working in an Apple/Foxconn sweatshop.

[Wiigee @ Oct 9th 2008 1:33AM]

not if they are just factory workers or henchmen. Jusc cause the company is doing well, doesnt mean those at the bottom are (hence Reganomics not working).

[TMM @ Oct 9th 2008 2:48AM]

From my experience those "sweatshops" are a huge improvement for workers in China.
Just as a side note. Don't feel bad about buying from China. Living standarts have improved for a lot of people because of those jobs.

[Wiigee @ Oct 9th 2008 3:08AM]

@TMM i wish i lived in your world. working conditions aside, its still bad to have factories over there, think of all the American jobs that could be if they (any company) stopped outsourcing. but i guess this all is for another place, engadget is hardly the arena for politics.

[Ben @ Oct 9th 2008 4:25AM]

Seeing as iPod / MacBook assembly workers earn 75 cents an hour, I'm guessing not.

[dt3k @ Oct 9th 2008 8:46AM]

This guy is definitely not an "assembly" line worker.

For 1 - He is in his house, you think those guys cracking the whip just let him walk out with a shell?
For 2 - He has a playstation 3.

Just saying.

[avis @ Oct 9th 2008 1:15AM]

does the casing matter so much?

[Wiigee @ Oct 9th 2008 1:35AM]

it can to a degree, especialy in a laptop. a desktop is one thing, it doesnt matter too much if its super cool looking (to most), but laptops ane out there for everyone to see, so people like for them to look nice, like a car.

[Wiigee @ Oct 9th 2008 1:36AM]

w00t! i rock at run-on sentences that make no sense!

[Giroro @ Oct 9th 2008 2:50AM]

@Wiigee

How can you disagree with a question?

[Wiigee @ Oct 9th 2008 3:04AM]

think about it. but not too hard. you dont want to hurt yourself.

[nerdtalker @ Oct 9th 2008 4:20AM]

When it's a mac, and physical/exterior appearance and "sex factor" are a major contributing factor to your product brand, lineup, and selling point, yes. It matters. A. Whole. Lot.

[h_2_o @ Oct 9th 2008 1:15AM]

i'm more interested in the process that the claims have been about. it seems to either be very wasteful by carving the entire thing out of a single piece of metal or they are calling an old technology something new and trying to spin it. to me it looks more like hydroforming than anything else. who knows but i'm actually interested in this "breakthrough" technology.

now if it is just for rapid prototyping and cutting something out of a single chunk of metal then this could be done with a specialized EDM machine, but then again that would be old technology being spun as something crazy new that it is not.

[Dubb @ Oct 9th 2008 1:35AM]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't they just gather all the shavings produced by these, and then remelt them to form more bricks, thus recycling the shavings?

[Wiigee @ Oct 9th 2008 1:38AM]

so far they havent spun anything. this "new technology! business is coming from fanboy rumors

[Darryl @ Oct 9th 2008 1:47AM]

Yes, I'm wondering about that too. A laptop case machined from a giant solid block of aluminum is excessive, and I don't think that anyone would be dumb enough to design a case that needs to be milled on an expensive machine for several hours, and expect to sell a lot of them at a decent price. Yes, the shavings are/should-be melted down, but that also takes some energy, and could waste valuable time. So I bet it's stamped or drawn, with some kind of jet or beam used to cut it. But even then, it's a hell of a lot more expensive than the current cases. But I bet it'd feel really solid and look really cool...
btw, it's not so cool now that it's only the top half that's solid, but more sensible, I guess.

[Giroro @ Oct 9th 2008 2:52AM]

Maybe the 'breakthrouh' has to do with making them fast... some sort of assembly line of water jets or something.

[Filmguy15 @ Oct 9th 2008 3:00AM]

New technology? No. But has this every been used to make laptop shells? No. I think that if it's true, it will mean a much sturdier laptop. But I'm no mechanical engineer so I could be wrong. I just think it's pretty innovative to use this on a laptop, if they can keep costs down. I'm all about sexy computers, and fanboys and non-fanboys alike can agree that a carved computer will look very sexy. Looks don't always make the product though.....

[Filmguy15 @ Oct 9th 2008 3:01AM]

Meant to say "New technology? YES" sorry.