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MacBook Updates Rumored To Include Glass Trackpad
CWmike writes to tell us that Seth Weintraub has been hearing some interesting rumors surrounding the next iteration of Apple's MacBook line. "I have been hearing some interesting things about Apple's upcoming line of portable computers. The talk amongst insiders on the new MacBooks is kind of scattered but here's a summation of what I've heard: The new models are thinner than current MacBook and MacBook Pros and slightly more rounded, taking design cues from the MacBook Air; the trackpad is glass, multi-touch and uses gestures. The screen isn't multi-touch; the body is manufactured out of one piece of aluminum. Eco-friendly, yet sturdy. Manufacturing process is completely different; the release date will be in the last weeks of September."
What are the advantages of a glass trackpad? Wouldn't your finger stick to it?
So if I'm understanding this right if a $0.05 part goes out and it would not be covered under warranty the customer would be charged the fee for the whole system of parts (probably several hundred dollars) while Apple gets to refurbish and resell the system of parts after they replace the cheap part (plus in house labor rates). Yea I can see how this would be win/win for apple. The only way to make this fair would be to reimburse the original purchaser for the parts that would be reused during the refurb, sort of like a core charge when you bring back your old starter motor. I would also guess that someone somewhere also is making the call that if the time and material to refurbish a system if going to be more then what they can resell the refurbish for, it will still be tossed in a landfill.