Chinese blog claims photos of Apple's next-gen 13-inch MacBooks

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
A Chinese-language blog responsible for leaking photographs of a genuine next-generation Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro casing has posted a similar set of photos purported to be that of the company's upcoming aluminum 13-inch MacBooks.



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.





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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 53
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider


    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.
  • Reply 2 of 53
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    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.
  • Reply 3 of 53
    xc3llxc3ll Posts: 30member
    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.
  • Reply 4 of 53
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by xc3ll View Post


    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.
  • Reply 5 of 53
    aapleaaple Posts: 78member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    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...
  • Reply 6 of 53
    hobbithobbit Posts: 532member
    Of course the next MacBook could have exactly the same lid as the MacBook Air. That would even be economical from a part production point of view. But is it likely?



    If you look at the inner frame:

    Top left and top right corners have the same wide, round corners the MBA.

    Bottom left and bottom right corners have the same tiny, sharp corners as the MBA.

    The current MacBook has a centered mono-hinge, while the MBA has two small hinges - just like the frame in the picture.



    And then there's the slightly off center 'MacBook' wording, which would be dead center if it would read 'Mac Book Air'...





    Seems very likely to be simply a MacBook Air replacement part that was either photoshopped or had sandpaper applied to remove 'Air' from the name.
  • Reply 7 of 53
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aaple View Post


    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...



    I agree with you about the off center MacBook test, but the curve of the top matches the MB better than the MBA which is very tapered at the corners, not rounded.
  • Reply 8 of 53
    calguycalguy Posts: 80member
    This is one preview that I am not even going to click on. I clicked directly on the comments section. I would rather be surprised when Apple does unveil the new MacBooks and MB Pros. It's all part of the excitement of continuing with Apple's policy of secrecy and my greater enjoyment of seeing the REAL thing that I know is the real thing. Speculation on the validity of such photos is just some place I am not interested in going even if the "I can't wait" feeling of others is strong enough to check it out. I can wait until September.
  • Reply 9 of 53
    aiolosaiolos Posts: 228member
    Looks fake to me. I don't buy it.
  • Reply 10 of 53
    samnuvasamnuva Posts: 225member
    A shot of a comonent on a blank white screen seems a little fishy. These don't look like real spy photos. I'll say I'm suspicious, at the least.
  • Reply 11 of 53
    nacnudnacnud Posts: 20member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hobBIT View Post


    And then there's the slightly off center 'MacBook' wording, which would be dead center if it would read 'Mac Book Air'...



    If you take a line from the hole for the web cam through the cut out for the apple logo the lettering is actually centred. It looks off centre due to foreshortening in the picture.
  • Reply 12 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nacnud View Post


    If you take a line from the hole for the web cam through the cut out for the apple logo the lettering is actually centred. It looks off centre due to foreshortening in the picture.



    It doesn't look off center... it is off center.

    You can use the corners to align the dimensions properly.
  • Reply 13 of 53
    evo9evo9 Posts: 8member
    Ok, let's say these shots aren't fake for a second.



    I'm looking at this and thinking where's the keyboard? then it hit me, the keyboard is there, it's made of the same material as the display. Meaning, the 'keyboard' is really another screen with dual touch.



    I'm voting these aren't fake and that this is the big surprise concerning the new Mac Book design. That would be pretty radical and badass if Apple went with a full multi-touch keyboard input that could be programatically reconfigured.
  • Reply 14 of 53
    I don't think the Apple logo is off-center. It looks to me like the left half is covered by the same styrofoam sheet that the shell is lying on. But yeah, this looks to be a MacBook Air shell with some photoshopping.
  • Reply 15 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by evo9 View Post


    Ok, let's say these shots aren't fake for a second.



    I'm looking at this and thinking where's the keyboard? then it hit me, the keyboard is there, it's made of the same material as the display. Meaning, the 'keyboard' is really another screen with dual touch.



    I'm voting these aren't fake and that this is the big surprise concerning the new Mac Book design. That would be pretty radical and badass if Apple went with a full multi-touch keyboard input that could be programatically reconfigured.



    That's a bit of a stretch seeing how the only thing pictured is the shell the screen comes in. The bottom half where the keyboard would be isn't shown.
  • Reply 16 of 53
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by xc3ll View Post


    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 --





    The far "edge" that you are seeing looks to me like a sheet of packing foam covering the left end of the cover.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Xian Zhu Xuande View Post


    It doesn't look off center... it is off center.

    You can use the corners to align the dimensions properly.





    It looks as if it's shot with a fairly wide angle lens, which can throw off that sort of check. Like when you photo someone close-up with a wide-angle, their nose gets huge compared to their face. But the picture does looks a bit off too, even for that. The far corner seems to bow out in an odd way that I can't quite explain away with a curl of the material. The inner edge of the bezel near the far corner doesn't seem to run parallel to the outer edge. There seems to be a bit of an irregularity on the upper right corner, it should be a smooth transition to a curve on that corner, but there's a bit of a sharp point there.
  • Reply 17 of 53
    evo9evo9 Posts: 8member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blütnerd View Post


    That's a bit of a stretch seeing how the only thing pictured is the shell the screen comes in. The bottom half where the keyboard would be isn't shown.



    Agreed. But it's fun/interesting to think about.
  • Reply 18 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by xc3ll View Post


    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 noticed the same anomaly about the logo being on the bottom. Unless .. it has to be on the bottom, like for a tablet. I'm dreaming, man.



    I suppose we'll know for sure only after September 16 or so.
  • Reply 19 of 53
    Yeah, it looks kinda fake but I would love a 13in aluminum Macbook(Pro), just put a real GPU in it and snow leopard for next years back to school and I am all over this!
  • Reply 20 of 53
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,625member
    It's just the pieces of the MBA rearranged.
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