It might not look like much, but this photo, unearthed by our friends at Engadget, is purportedly of an upcoming MacBook laptop from Apple. The main difference between this MacBook Pro and the previous models? Rumor has it that Apple has been working on creating a new manufacturing process in which it cuts the entire chasse of the laptop from a single block of aluminum, hence the codename 'Brick,' thereby making the notebook's structural integrity far superior to that of the previous MacBook Pro.

Typically, most metals used for manufacturing come from sheets of the material, and are then bent into the shape that ends up sitting on your lap.  This new process reportedly uses lasers and water cutting to create the actual shape.

What does this manufacturing process actually mean for the consumer? For starters, not much. Apple is such a sacred cow among the tech scene that any new news about the company makes everyone talk about the rumors, and thereby getting more traffic to their website. Bloggers are pegging this notebook to be announced at an event next Tuesday, October 14, but we don't think that's too likely since Apple typically sends out press invitations a week before events. No invitations went out on Tuesday or Wednesday, so we think you won't see these new MacBooks till sometime next year, likely in January. Though, as with all things Apple, predictability isn't their strong suit.

Update 2:12 PM: Apple has reportedly delivered invites to the media for an October 14th event, uncharacteristically late. See, predictability does go out the window.

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