That magnificent 17" Apple MacBook Pro, announced at MacWorld Expo in January, is starting to show up in Apple stores. It's joined a sweet lineup that includes 15" and 13" cousins and a 24" LED monitor.
Like the rest of the line, the new MacBook Pro is built different from just about any other notebook computer on the market. (Would you expect less from Apple?) Among many innovations, it features an aluminum "unibody" design: the bottom half, where the keyboard sits, is carved from a single block of aluminum.
Apple claims this design gives it many of the advantages laptop users crave, lightness and ruggedness being the top two. And of course, being an Apple, the visual impact is stunning.
But wait, as Steve would say, there's more. The unibody is part of what backs up Apple's claim that this is one of the greenest computers on the market today. How? by reducing the parts count and simplifying manufacturing, for one. By improving the heat dissipation, running the fan less, and extending battery life for another. And, of course just by being aluminum -- a material that's made for clean, high-value, low energy recycling.
When Apple introduced the unibody design last fall, there was some discussion in the blogosphere about this. Bloggers were comparing the process to plastic. The verdict seemed to be what you'd think: aluminum may be a bit more energy-intensive going in, but also chemically simpler and way more recyclable at end of life. And of course, in the meantime, it's an honest material: rugged, light, beautiful.
With the 17 now in stores, we were looking for a revival of this discussion, but haven't seen much yet. For our money, until they perfect the bamboo laptop, or the corrugated cardboard PC (which may have their own challenges) we're banking on our favorite metal as the greener way to go.
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