View this article at: http://www.electronista.com/articles/07/09/21/apple.aluminum.macbooks/

Friday, Sep 21, 2007 10:45am

Apple moving to aluminum fo...

Apple's next update to the MacBook line may represent a shift to an almost completely aluminum foundation, according to a new claim. Similar to the new iMac, the new model would replace virtually everything but the keys with aluminum, delivering a more professional look and also slimming the case considerably versus today's plastic-based model. The resulting system would be lighter than today's MacBook and thinner than even the one-inch MacBook Pro, the unnamed source says. The keyboard layout would be virtually unchanged from the Apple Bluetooth Keyboard seen today and would include the media keys absent from today's MacBooks. There may also be "something strange" about the touchpad, though details are forthcoming, the report alleges.

While the possibility exists that such a system may represent the subnotebook rumored by analysts and online, clues reinforce beliefs that the systems may actually be consumer models. Both aluminum and black models would be available -- paralleling the black and white plastic of today -- and would be "priced aggressively," the insider says. The display would also match the 13.3-inch diagonal area of the current model but would have a much thinner bezel that would reduce the overall footprint of the system.

The tip was unclear as to when the systems would be released but was followed with the promise of future leaks and possible photos over the next few weeks. While unverifiable, the tip appears to be consistent with past reports of an aluminum, 13.3-inch system in development and comes from the same site that hosted the first photo of the third generation iPod nano, which was proven accurate during Apple's September music event. [via 9to5Mac]