Intel Says AMD Split Violates License Agreement

When they're not hand-wringing over the recent drop in Apple's share price, Mac enthusiasts have been transfixed lately by the mystery product, code-named "brick," that's due for release later this month.

Some bloggers and pundits have suggested it might be a new iteration of Apple TV or an updated Mac Mini. But according to a report on 9to5Mac.com, "brick" refers not to what it is, but how it's made. The Web site, which cites an anonymous source, says the code name has to do with a manufacturing process for Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro lines of laptops. Apple (AAPL) will build the notebook out of a single piece of carved-out aluminum—a brick.

Whatever it signifies, the new computer may be precisely what Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer meant when he referred to a "new product transition that I can't talk about yet" during Apple's most recent earnings conference call in July. The transition is among the reasons Apple said it expects to make lower gross profit margins (BusinessWeek.com, 7/22/08) during the next several quarters.

A radically different production method might well boost costs, at least at the outset. But there could also be savings from the change, says Kevin Keller, an analyst at market research firm iSuppli. "If you're working with one single unit of metal, you're reducing a lot of the materials costs and also a lot of labor time on assembly," he says.

Apple has been known to push the envelope on notebook design over the years. Its metallic MacBook Pros have inherited a distinctive look and feel that dates to 2001 when Apple launched its PowerBook G4 product line. Since then, there has always been a metal notebook, sometimes boasting a titanium shell, sometimes one of aluminum.

But coring out a block of aluminum, while fairly common in some products, such as types of wireless telecom gear, is a slow process, Keller says. "The issue for Apple, which would presumably be doing it millions of times, would be speed," he says. "It's very time-intensive." Presumably, Apple could bring innovation aimed at streamlining the manufacturing process, he adds.

There's no evidence Apple has undertaken the construction of a new facility, though in recent years it has been purchasing real estate near its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., for a second corporate campus. On the off chance Apple wants to do some of its own manufacturing, the company would most likely be considering a site in China. "If they're doing this at all, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have to happen in Asia," Keller says.

Apple stock rose 1.07, to 98.14, on Oct. 6, though it has been hammered in recent months on concerns that the economic slowdown and financial market crisis gripping Wall Street will crimp demand for its products. Whatever form its brick takes, Apple will want to ensure that it can be manufactured as efficiently as possible—and hold plenty of appeal for consumers.

Intel Unveils Metro-World's Thinnest Laptop


Lord have mercy, Intel has just created a laptop that's as pretty as a supermodel, and thinner, too. Codenamed the Intel Mobile Metro Notebook, this prototype was designed by Intel along with Ziba Design, and it's a mere .7 inches thick and weighs just 2.25 pounds. It's no dumb blonde, either, packed with Intel's speediest and most efficient components.

This one has it all. The slim, champagne-colored magnesium notebook—which is only a quarter of an inch thicker than a Motorola RAZR cellphone—will include a magnetically attached folder that will be available in different fashion colors.

Metro is expected to come out as a champagne colored magnesium notebook. A Splash-Pad like folder is attached to the notebook. This functions as a wireless multi purpose charger for mobile devices while you are on the move.

Metro is expected to have an “always-on” Internet connectivity on contrary to the currently used special cards that are required to access the web from your laptop.

It'll have always-on connectivity, using all Intel chips, of course, to connect via Wi-Fi, EV-DO and WiMax. It'll also have a flash memory hard drive, with an expected battery life of 14 hours. Check out the glow-in-the-dark, the screen on the outside of that folder, the beautiful gold accents, and the overall thinness of this thing. It's just astonishing.

Other attractive features might include a finger print reader for security, small microphones to cancel out the background noise and innovative mechanisms to kill the hard drives remotely.