Apple’s “Brick” Concept – Where did the Computer Go?
James Gill / October 5, 2008
There has been a lot of talk lately that Apple will be releasing something code-named “the Brick”.
There have been many rumours and suggestions as to what “the Brick” may be. 9 to 5 Mac is reporting that, according to their sources, the “brick” refers to a new manufacturing process that would involve using lasers and jet cutting instead of the traditional method of pressing to construct new Apple MacBooks from bricks of solid aluminium. If true, this process would truly revolutionise the manufacturing process of consumer electronics. It would, yet again, put Apple several years ahead of the competition, and would ensure Apple gained control over even more of the manufacturing process.
However, let’s pretend for a minute that we haven’t heard that rumour. Let’s think of “the Brick” as an actual product, rather than a manufacturing technique. What could it be?
No more Power Brick?
Initially, when I heard the term, my mind thought power bricks – the bulky blocks that ensure your laptop (or Mac Mini) gets charged when you plug it into the wall. If Apple could innovate a way that would mean we didn’t need a power brick for our laptops that would be truly astonishing. It would put Apple’s laptops a major step out in front of all competition. However, as much as this would be groundbreakingly cool, I simply don’t believe it is possible yet. Sure, power bricks are getting smaller and smaller, and Apple’s are looking better and better (See iPhone 3G), but to eliminate the power brick entirely is, as far as I know, not currently feasible.
New Mac Mini?
So, what else could “the Brick” be? Perhaps the Mac Mini. The Mini hasn’t been updated for a very long time. It has almost been forgotten about. This means either a) it’s going to be eliminated from the product line, or b) it’s going to have a massive overhaul very soon. Personally, I think it is much more likely to be b). With the current state of the global economy, and the increased growth Apple has seen in the higher end of the computer market, their low end, affordable Mac is overdue a massive sales increase.
On the one hand, Apple could attempt to make the Mini even thinner, even sexier, and perhaps re-brand it to Mac Nano. This would be great, but it could well confuse consumers with the similarly sized, and similarly priced AppleTV. Instead, I believe Apple will need to differentiate the Mini in another way other than to make it smaller…
No more Computer?
Let’s take a look at Neil Curtis’s idea for what could happen to the Mac Mini. He proposes that we dispose of “the Brick” entirely. Instead, we would have our entire computer inside the keyboard that sits on our desk. This would look simply breathtaking if you imagine that all that would be sitting on your desk would be a strikingly thin Apple Cinema Display (they’re also long overdue a design refresh), a keyboard, and a mouse.
It is arguable that this concept would be possible, but I reckon, with Apple’s knowledge, the Macbook Air’s internals could be re distributed and altered to fit within the constraints of a keyboard shaped computer. Let’s not forget that there would be no need for a battery, a trackpad, or even speakers, already saving a large amount of space. Neil even suggests that an optical drive could be crammed into this design, just like on the MacBook.
View the video above to see Neil explain his ideas in full.
It will be interesting to see what Apple releases in the next few weeks. So far, the rumour is that October 14th will be the day of announcements.
We can’t wait!
Benjamin A. Wendelboe said,
October 5, 2008 at 18:10 ()
I don't see how the 3rd suggestion of yours would even compare to an iMac unless Apple created some very innovative way of connecting it to power and displays.. If it wasn't ultra-portable and ultra-pluggable (Yeah.. That's right.. Ultra-pluggable.. Don't forget where you heard it first!), I'd way rather have the power of iMac..
G said,
October 5, 2008 at 18:17 ()
I agree, there are disadvantages to the third suggestion.
The thing is, all that would need to be connected by plugs is a display and a power cord. The rest could be wireless - bluetooth mouse, and 802.11n. The display would no doubt have a USB hub inbuilt so any hard drives etc. could plug in there.
Sure it's a long stretch, but it's quite a unique concept that is the sort of thing Apple would release.
Also, while thinking of negatives, the current Mac Mini is very versatile, and is even rack mounted in server rooms for space saving hosting. This idea would severely reduce the versatility of the Mini.
But hey, ideas, that's all they are!
john said,
October 5, 2008 at 21:53 ()
Clever, but I doubt it. Having been an IT guy for a few years, I can say with confidence that spills on a keyboard are so common that it's not really wise to put the computer in the keyboard. They keyboard is essentially disposable, the computer isn't.
G said,
October 5, 2008 at 23:48 ()
John, you raise a very good point. However, what about the number of laptops in use today? Surely, there aren't THAT many cases of spillages on the keyboard? Although, saying that, I have a friend who drowned their PowerBook in cappuccino...
I guess people will just have to be more careful with their Starbucks purchases when using it ;-)
Jenn said,
October 7, 2008 at 12:49 ()
I have to say that the idea of having the computer inside the keyboard is quite ingenious... perhaps not so much when you think it's already used for laptops- but in terms of a desktop, I think it's pretty damn ingenious. It would be nice, too. I'm sick of having a giant, clunky tower taking up valuable desk real estate.
Whether or not it's something they are going to do now, obviously we don't know. But it would be cool to see something like this from them in the near future; I'd definitely go for the buy.
Freddywang said,
October 16, 2008 at 12:12 ()
Or it can be a totally enclosed box removing all keyboard buttons. Apple might think of a way to replace them with touch pad that detects keyboard input as well.
Just imagine a keyboard size of mac gadget with latest multi touch technology that beautifully decorates your work desk. I guess I dream too much of an iPhone as desktop mac :p
G said,
October 16, 2008 at 17:05 ()
I think Freddywang has got a good idea there.
There have been a lot of rumours surrounding the possibility of Apple one day, at some point, releasing a tablet computer.
I have doubts as to how "Mac"ish it will be - I would assume that it would run a variant of the iPhone OS rather than a scaled down version of Mac OS X as it would be touch screen, and Mac OS X is designed for use with a traditional keyboard and mouse. Microsoft proved that you can't simply take an existing OS and expect people to use it successfully as a touch screen with their own XP for tablet PCs. They weren't a runaway success.
However, in terms of this being a new computer, I think it could have a dual purpose. You could take it around as a powerful device, slightly less powerful than a MacBook, but more powerful than an iPhone. Then when you get to your desk, where your existing Mac is, it could double up as a touch screen input - a kind of trackpad like on the new MacBooks, but with a screen.
Imagine that - controlling your Mac with a touch screen device as good as the iPhone but with more screen space. With the option to add shortcuts depending on which application you were using at any one time, with instant access to your frequently used apps via a touch screen dock, and even the ability to use it as a graphics tablet in applications like Photoshop and Corel Painter.
The New Apple DisplayBoard. Because we need more than Keys.
Haha, that would be cool.
Anyway, that's just my added 2 cents!
James
RabidZombie said,
May 21, 2009 at 17:55 ()
See, the first thing I thought when I heard "the Brick" was that the computer would actually ship in a state where it's not functional in anyway. But yeah, I don't think even Apple are than "innovative".
As for the computer being entirely enclosed in the keyboard, no thanks. I personally like moving my keyboard around frequently for comfort. I don't want added weight. Added thickness is also a huge no. Didn't we move away from computers with that design for a reason anyway?
@Jenn: Not ingenious. It's been done before, many times. In fact, I think there's similar on the market already, not not by Apple (so it can run what whatever you like, including OS X if you know what you're doing). It's name escape me, however.
@Freddywang: I could have sworn you were going to say Chick Wheel then... http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary
@G: Microsoft didn't learn anything obviously, since they're still trying to get 100% touch interface down. I suspect they'll be able to do it, but I don't think a lot of people actually want to replace tactile input with touch screens just yet. I, for one, can't stand typing on a touch screen for extended periods of time.
Lengthy comment is lengthy. And out of date.