Anyway: this technology is very interesting. And a cost analysis WOULD be interesting to view, though probably impossible to find. Would this also mean that potentially new designs could be created on a computer and then made in small quantities for quite cheap (compared to normal Alpha-test hw)??
That's all fine and dandy except that you've said nothing about how the process would reduce waste. Simply saying that it does or that "precision" will reduce the waste doesn't cut it.
Let's suppose that Apple was going to create three different MacBook models all fabricated using aluminum: a 13" model, a 15" model and a 17" model. A solid 'brick' of aluminum would be placed in the CNC machine and a 17" case would be cut from it. The remaining block of metal would be used to fabricate a 15" case and then the piece cut out of that would be used to fabricate a 13" case. The remaining piece would be used to cut say four iPod bodies and the block remaining after that would be used to create a couple of iPod Shuffles.
At present the case of a 17" model is created by stamping the aluminum into the desired shape using a press. Where the aluminum is bent creates a structural weak point. If the top half of the case were cut from a solid 'brick' of metal, there would be no weak points. Cut a top and a bottom in this way and you can create two pieces that slide together to create a finished item with an invisible join. You might need two screws to hold a retaining plate in place, but you wouldn't need the 8-10 separate screws presently used. (By the way, screw holes also create weak points.)
What this process is NOT about is carving a complete case from a single 'brick'; that would be wasteful for the very good reasons you've stated. So, what I'm saying is clever use of 3-D laser cutting technology to carve shapes out of solid blocks instead of pressing sheets of metal creates inherently stronger, lighter and simpler designs that fit together greater precision. It also eliminates waste because the computer calculates exactly what thickness of block is required to produce a given number/ range of components. It is a very efficient system. It is incredible that no one has done this to make a computer before.
A more robust and durable case design with a cushioned chip and SSD memory would be so much more capable of surviving drops, knocks and bumps. it would be an incredible product.
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That's all fine and dandy except that you've said nothing about how the process would reduce waste. Simply saying that it does or that "precision" will reduce the waste doesn't cut it.
Let's suppose that Apple was going to create three different MacBook models all fabricated using aluminum: a 13" model, a 15" model and a 17" model. A solid 'brick' of aluminum would be placed in the CNC machine and a 17" case would be cut from it. The remaining block of metal would be used to fabricate a 15" case and then the piece cut out of that would be used to fabricate a 13" case. The remaining piece would be used to cut say four iPod bodies and the block remaining after that would be used to create a couple of iPod Shuffles.
At present the case of a 17" model is created by stamping the aluminum into the desired shape using a press. Where the aluminum is bent creates a structural weak point. If the top half of the case were cut from a solid 'brick' of metal, there would be no weak points. Cut a top and a bottom in this way and you can create two pieces that slide together to create a finished item with an invisible join. You might need two screws to hold a retaining plate in place, but you wouldn't need the 8-10 separate screws presently used. (By the way, screw holes also create weak points.)
What this process is NOT about is carving a complete case from a single 'brick'; that would be wasteful for the very good reasons you've stated. So, what I'm saying is clever use of 3-D laser cutting technology to carve shapes out of solid blocks instead of pressing sheets of metal creates inherently stronger, lighter and simpler designs that fit together greater precision. It also eliminates waste because the computer calculates exactly what thickness of block is required to produce a given number/ range of components. It is a very efficient system. It is incredible that no one has done this to make a computer before.
A more robust and durable case design with a cushioned chip and SSD memory would be so much more capable of surviving drops, knocks and bumps. it would be an incredible product.
Steve Jobs frickin' built his own damn factory! Holy f*K.
Thats incredible
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OR
product transition that reduces margins?
hmmmmm?