TechSpot - PC Technology News and Analysis

The impending Intel-based iBook will have as a feature an entirely magnet based latch technology. At present, the Mac laptops utilize a small magnet to pull a small metal latch down when laptop is closed. In the future, a stronger magnet will hold the screen shut.

In addition to adopting the MacBook Pro's MagSafe power connector, the notebooks will also shed their traditional latch technology in favor of a purely magnetic latching system, people familiar with some of the Intel iBook's design elements have told AppleInsider. Instead of using a magnet to capture a small metal latch when the notebook is close, the new iBooks will use a stronger magnetic system that will adhere the notebook's display component to its base without the need for a movable latch, these people say.

The Intel-based iBook, which may make its debut under a new product name such as MacBook, is rumored to be the most heavily redesigned Macintosh to come out of Apple's industrial design labs in the last two years.