Nov 12

Custom Carbon Fiber Hood… For MacBook Air!

Back in late 2006, a modder claimed to be the creator of "world’s first carbon fiber MacBook," and to accomplish his goal, he used a MacBook and a $20 Carbon Graphix vinyl sticker. It is funny to mention it, but when I heard that Apple may finally build some carbon fiber MacBooks, I suddenly remembered about that early attempt, since I wrote about that story back then, although BindApple was not up yet. Back in 2006, it was a custom carbon fiber hood for the MacBook, now we're talking about a carbon fiber body, as you're going to see right away...

While everyone went crazy about MacBook Air's size, it seems Apple is not entirely happy with it. No, it's not the fact they have taken away the optical drive, although I am sure there are plenty MacBook Air users who wouldn't mind having at least a DVD-ROM drive... it's all about the weight! Yes, you got that right - despite the fact Apple's MacBook Air was, for a period, world's thinnest laptop, it still has a weight problem, in its creator's eyes...

Usually used in the aerospace, sporting, and racing industries, carbon fiber made its way into the computing world, with Sony and Voodoo PC starting to deliver lightweight notebooks using this material. If they can do it, why not Apple?

Current reports are claiming that moving from a custom carbon fiber hood to a factory carbon fiber build can cost a bit, but the new MacBook Air would go down from 1363 grams to 1263 grams. Well, one chocolate less... not such a big deal, if you ask me, but it's Apple's call, not mine!

For now, this is only a rumor, but we may see it turning into reality sooner than expected. Anyway, no MacBook updates remaining this year, that's clear - Apple said it, but since they didn't say anything about next year...