Potential Macbook Air competitors will have to use other materials like plastic, as Apple monopolizes the aluminium chassis supply, reports Digitimes. The limited number of chassis is down to the computer numerical control, or CNC machines, which can only produce one unibody frame every three hours.
Catcher Technology, the main unibody frame maker, has been restricted due to a production stoppage, but they are still giving priority to Apple, which means that other companies are in short supply. They are therefore turning to other materials, such as high density fibre glass.
The Macbook Air has grown in popularity since it was upgraded in 2010, with the i5 and i7 chips being added in July 2011. It currently represents 28% of Apple’s total notebook sales, and its competitors will have been dealt a blow by the shortage of aluminum frames.