Analyst and assorted Mac guru Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has issued a new investor note stating the Apple is working to integrate faster and more versatile circuit boards across its product lineup come 2018.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone X handsets currently use a new flexible circuit board made from liquid crystal polymer. Both phones use it in their antenna designs, while the iPhone X also uses it in its TrueDepth camera. This LCP FPCB technology allows for high-speed and low-latency data transfer.
Kuo has stated that manufacturer Career is presently working on incorporating this technology into the MacBook notebook lineup. Such a practice would allow Apple to save a considerable amount of internal space inside the casing as well as allow for easier adoption of USB 3.2 and other I/O ports.
Kuo offered the following statement:
It order to address future hardware form factor design requirements (e.g. saving more internal space) and to keep abreast of potential data transmission spec upgrades (e.g. USB 3.2), we believe Apple is now working with Career, its FPCB supplier for MacBook, in exploring LCP FPCB designs for future MacBook models
The flexible circuit boards created from liquid crystal polymers offers a much more stable frequency signal transmission, and is also heat and moisture resistant.
Kuo says that design and production of flexible circuit boards created from liquid crystal polymers is very challenging and says it will likely be 2019 until any competitors are able to integrate it, giving Apple a one year jumpstart.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac