mbp 2011 lion obliqueLast week, it was revealed that Catcher Technology, Apple's primary unibody aluminum case supplier for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, had halted some production at its Chinese plant over pollution concerns. One report had indicated that Catcher was investing $2-3 million in addressing the issues, aiming to resume production sometime next month.

Reuters briefly reports, however, that Catcher has been able to move even more quickly, with full production set to resume by the end of this month.

Catcher Technology , a casing supplier for Apple Inc , said on Wednesday its China plant will be fully reopened at end of this month.

Catcher, which reportedly supplies about 60% of Apple's demand for notebook shells, had previously reported that the production halt would result in a 20% decrease in its October sales.

Related Roundups: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Top Rated Comments

daxomni Avatar
179 months ago
Let's hope for a case redesign in the near future!
I was going to hope for a less polluted future, but I supposed a new case would be just as good.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shrink Avatar
179 months ago
Let's hope for a case redesign in the near future!
Serious question - what kind of re-design?

I think the current design of the MBP and MBA is great looking. How would you change them, beyond dropping the Optical Drive in the MBP to make it thinner? :confused:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PinkyMacGodess Avatar
178 months ago
LOL maybe it was oregano, and it smelled so much unlike soy sauce that they panicked. :p

Well, hopefully in the long run this leads towards better environmental protection. It's ridiculous if Apple sells an aluminum casing on being recyclable to Western customers, and meanwhile manufacturing that casing in the East is far worse environmentally than if the case were manufactured in a "clean" plant but could not be recycled.

It was one, or possibly two, things. It was either the coolant for the milling machines or what they use to clean the coolant off the finished parts.

Some of the coolant has a nasty odor and the cleaner/solvents they may be using can cause strong odors and nasty contamination.

I was a sub on an IT project at a manufacturer in central Michigan and noticed that everyone carried bottles of water in with them. Then I asked one of the techs and we said that it was because the water out of the tap is so contaminated, it's undrinkable. People also took their mugs home to wash because the water was so bad there. They were in a very rural area and since the plant had been there for 50/60 years, and they dumped coolants and solvents on the ground and routinely had leaks in their waste tanks, the ground water all around the plant was just nasty. They didn't seem concerned about it at all which, aside from the lackadaisical opinion on the leaking chemicals, I found very incredibly tragically disturbingly odd... It's almost like they would have gladly given up their health for a job. I found that stunning...:eek: I tipped the state off to the mess and they still, after 8+ years, to my knowledge, have not investigated at all which I found disgusting. They busted a guy for dumping his used motor oil in his backyard and sent him to jail, and won't investigate a corporation that has literally dumped poisons on the ground and is killing the town. Go figure... And what's that PR campaign for Michigan? "Pure Michigan"? If you don't mind the contaminated water...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mkrishnan Avatar
179 months ago
They discovered it was lunch.

LOL maybe it was oregano, and it smelled so much unlike soy sauce that they panicked. :p

Well, hopefully in the long run this leads towards better environmental protection. It's ridiculous if Apple sells an aluminum casing on being recyclable to Western customers, and meanwhile manufacturing that casing in the East is far worse environmentally than if the case were manufactured in a "clean" plant but could not be recycled.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Retrofire Avatar
179 months ago
Serious question - what kind of re-design?

Good question!

I think the current design of the MBP and MBA is great looking. How would you change them, beyond dropping the Optical Drive in the MBP to make it thinner? :confused:

No major redesign in 2012. It is too early. Or do you think Professionals are happy with a 256 GB (blade) SSD in a thinner 17" MBP?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mkrishnan Avatar
179 months ago
Anyone have details on what the pollution problems were, exactly?

Reports in Western media (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/factory-stench-shipment-delays/) were (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/10/factory-stench-shipment-delays/) simply that there was some kind of odor coming from the plant, and nearby residents complained, prompting the government to ask them to shut down and figure it out. So it could be that whatever was causing the problem was easier to identify / fix than anticipated? (It could also be a wide variety of things). It doesn't seem like it was shut down for a known pattern of ongoing environmental misbehavior, so whatever they did to fix it might not be a huge improvement on the plant's environmental vitae.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...