Molly Anderson, Apple’s Industrial Design Leader, discusses the process behind creating the MacBook Neo in a new interview today.
Tom Ravenscroft at Dezeen has the interview, in which Anderson discusses the new machine that happens to have the most recycled material of any Apple product.
In the piece, Anderson talks about how Apple didn’t just turn to older technology to create a lower-priced MacBook, but instead made something new:
“People’s assumption about the way that you make something that’s affordable is often – you use an older technology, maybe use a cheaper material or find a way to cut a corner somewhere,” she said.
“But for us it was important for it to be quintessentially a MacBook. It wasn’t just a redesign, it was starting from the beginning, and we’re not using cheaper materials, it’s incredible aluminium.”
Later in the piece, this section about how the MacBook Neo is machined is especially interesting, given the high build quality and lower-than-expected price:
“We started with an extrusion, we flatten and then form it with heat and pressure to get as close as possible to the shape of the final product,” explained Anderson.
“Then we fine machine to create the profile. So we’re really reducing a huge amount of the machining cycle time that’s involved.”
According to Anderson this reduced cost as it reduced the overall manufacturing time and halved the amount of material used.
“The goal is for us to use less material overall, and to use to reduce the amount of processing of that material,” she said.
“It’s really this kind of special equation of having the right alloy, designing the right product and developing the shape to be able to process it so it feels exactly like the MacBook with the quality of a MacBook.”
You can read the interview in full at Dezeen. MacBook Neo is available to pre-order for $599 ahead of launch day on Wednesday, March 11.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
