Molly Anderson, Apple’s Industrial Design Lead, discusses the process of creating the MacBook Neo in a new interview today.

In an interview with Tom Ravenscroft at Dezeen, Anderson explains how she developed the new machine, which has the highest amount of recycled materials among Apple products.

Anderson emphasizes that Apple did not just turn to older technologies to create a lower-priced MacBook; instead, they produced something entirely new:

“People’s assumptions about how to make something affordable are usually this – you use an old technology, maybe you use a cheaper material, or you find a way to cut corners,” she said.

“But for us, it was important that it was fundamentally a MacBook. This wasn’t just a redesign; it needed to start from scratch, and we’re not using cheaper materials, this is incredible aluminum.”

Later in the interview, the way the MacBook Neo is processed is particularly interesting, as it highlights high build quality and surprisingly low price:

“We started with an extrusion, we flatten it, and then we shape it as close to the final product as possible with heat and pressure,” Anderson explained.

“Then we do fine machining to create the profile. This way, we really reduce a significant portion of the machining cycle time.”

According to Anderson, this reduced costs because it decreased overall production time and halved the amount of material used.

“Our goal is to use less material overall and reduce the amount of material processed,” she said.

“This is a special formula related to developing the shape to achieve the right alloy, design the right product, and make it machinable.”

You can read the full interview at Dezeen. The MacBook Neo will be available for pre-order at $599 on Wednesday, March 11.

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