AppleInsider Staff
The four photos (below) published by Apple.pro show a hollow 13-inch aluminum notebook display casing with the word "MacBook" imprinted on the bezel.
Last month, the same blog published a single photo showing the empty shell of what was said to be Apple's next-gen MacBook Pro enclosure. People familiar with the upcoming notebooks later confirmed to AppleInsider that the enclosure in the photo was indeed authentic.
Both sets of photos show notebook casings that closely conform to AppleInsider's descriptions of Apple's upcoming MacBook and MacBook Pro refreshes that were first published back in April.
In that report, it was noted that the MacBooks would undergo the most significant metamorphosis, shedding their plastic enclosures for ones constructed from more eco-friendly materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel.
Meanwhile, the new MacBook Pro was later revealed to include a long and narrow battery cover spanning the entire length of the notebook and comprising approximately 25 percent of the bottom casing, bleeding out and over one edge.
A small, rectangular latch positioned just below the battery area on the bottom of the new notebook will release the battery cover, providing access not only to the MacBook Pro's lithium-ion battery but also its hard disk drive, those familiar with the upcoming design have said.
The verdict is still out on whether the latest round of photos are indeed that of Apple's upcoming 13-inch MacBook. It should be noted that Apple.pro appears to have obtained the photos from this reseller website, which lists the mysterious new casing in its parts database.
Unlike the earlier MacBook Pro photo, the new photos also appear soft or a digitally altered. The "MacBook" type on the bezel appears as if it may be off-center. In general, the casing itself bears many similarities to that of the MacBook Air. Therefore, readers should take the blog's latest claims with some caution.
Photos of a disassembled MacBook Air display casing taken from iFixIt's disassembly guide have been posted below for comparison.
Charles Martin
William Gallagher
Marko Zivkovic
Amber Neely
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
Malcolm Owen
53 Comments
In that report, it was noted that the MacBooks would undergo the most significant metamorphosis, shedding their plastic enclosures for ones constructed from more eco-friendly materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel.
Got to love the word treatment here. This is a computer you're talking about right? It sounds so grandiose.
I would have said the new MacBooks are going to be aluminum myself, pretty simple change really.
Other sites have posters saying it's just a photoshopped MBA case. While these images could very well be photoshopped the curvature is that of the current MB and I'd wager that these photos are legit.
I'm sorry, but I have to gloat.
I posted these before AI did (check the Apple Notebook Lines To See.... thread)!
As I said in that thread though, these pics don't seem to be the real deal. The Apple logo in the top right picture is off center and sideways (unless that's the bottom and there's supposed to be a latch there -- but even then, the latch would have to be on the side and current macbooks don't have the Apple logo on the bottom (as far as I can remember)) The tops might be real, but these look like they were shot in a studio or something, whereas all their other exclusive pics were shot with terrible cameras in terrible lighting conditions.
I'm sorry, but I have to gloat.
I posted these before AI did (check the Apple Notebook Lines To See.... thread)!
As I said in that thread though, these pics don't seem to be the real deal. The Apple logo in the top right picture is off center and sideways (unless that's the bottom and there's supposed to be a latch there -- but even then, the latch would have to be on the side and current macbooks don't have the Apple logo on the bottom (as far as I can remember)) The tops might be real, but these look like they were shot in a studio or something, whereas all their other exclusive pics were shot with terrible cameras in terrible lighting conditions.
Don't worry, you won't get the credit you probably should.
Other sites have posters saying it's just a photoshopped MBA case. While these images could very well be photoshopped the curvature is that of the current MB and I'd wager that these photos are legit.
What do you mean, the curvature is that of the current MB? The tapered picture looks exactly like the top of the MBA. The picture of the empty screen casing looks like the right dimensions for the MB, but the word "MacBook" is off center, and *curiously*, it is off center right where it would be if the word "Air" came after it.... look at a picture of MBA screen and you'll see what I mean. They just took the picture at an angle to hide this fact.
I vote fake. The new MBs could end up looking a lot like this, but I don't think this is it...