Apple’s thinnest laptop is rumored to get a make over. AppleInsider claims that Apple has been looking into replacing aluminum parts with carbon fiber parts in an effort to make the MacBook Air even lighter than it presently is.

Apple enthusiastically claimed ownership to the world’s thinnest notebook earlier this year with the introduction of the MacBook Air, but is rumored to be unsatisfied with the system’s weight, which it now hopes to drop below 3 pounds.

Carbon Fiber is lighter than aluminum and is exceptionally strong. AppleInsider also says a pre-production MacBook Air running around looked exactly the same as the current model, but with a black carbon fiber bottom. According to iFixit, the heaviest structural component besides the unibody chassis—which supposedly will continue to be machined from a single block of aluminum—is the bottom cover. Replacing it with carbon fiber would bring the Air’s weight down by 100 grams to 2.78 pounds.

AppleInsider reiterates that they’re publishing the info on the carbon fiber redesign “strictly as a rumor”. If proven true, we might see this MacBook Air make over next year. [AppleInsider]

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