Intel has announced that it has created a concept chassis made of plastic that is "a fraction of the cost and equivalent in quality to existing machined aluminum and die cast metal solutions." According to Reuters, the new process, borrowing techniques from the aerospace and auto industries, could shave $25 to $75 off the price of Ultrabooks, which have been hindered by higher sticker prices than most mainstream laptops.
Intel calls the innovation the result of "structural reduction analysis," which Reuters describes in far simpler terms as essentially changing the layout of components like hard drives and motherboards to improve the structural strength of the plastic case. As a result, no new materials are required to gain the advantages Intel expects.
But don't look for these new plastic chassis in the very near future. Intel says that it will be sharing its discovery with laptop manufacturers, and that Ultrabooks using the new chassis design will start appearing next year after further refinement of the process.
[Via Engadget]
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