Apple working on ultra-thin 15" and 17" MacBooks

After refreshing its 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models last week, Apple is reportedly planning to add yet another ultra-thin unit to its lineup. According to Macrumors, the company is performing final tests on a 15-inch laptop that will come in slimmer than the existing 15-inch MacBook Pro model, presumably boasting flash storage and no optical drive.
It's unclear if this new system will be a part of Apple's Air or Pro family. TUAW believes it will be the latter and in a separate report citing its own anonymous sources the site claims that a 17-inch model is also in the works. The move would certainly be in line with previous comments from COO Tim Cook referring to the Air as the "MacBook of the future, shipping today."
Apple has had huge success with their MacBook Air range and with last week's update the company decided to drop the plastic MacBook altogether, leaving the 11-inch Air as their only entry-level machine. Meanwhile, the company's MacBook Pro line has not seen a significant external overhaul since the company switched to its unibody design in 2008. Trimming down the laptop's profile while maintaining Pro performance seems like the next logical step for Apple, though the move to flash memory would probably need to happen gradually as storage space and price is still a concern.
Losing the optical drive on the Pro might not sit well with some users but the company is certainly moving in that direction. Mac OS X Lion is its first operating system to ship without a DVD or physical disk, although it will be available via USB later next month, and the newest Mac Mini has also dropped the optical drive in favor of a slimmer profile.
The MacBook Pro line received its last hardware refresh in February; TUAW believes the new slim models might be available in time for Christmas.

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Apple Could Launch Super Slim MacBooks

After the success of the MacBook Air notebooks over the years, it is now being reported that Apple could slightly up the ante for the refresh of the current version of the slim Mac notebooks. A source suggests that Apple could be considering a 15" model of the Macbook's slimmer version. It is believed that this new Macbook is being given the final touches. However, the notebook will not be launched anytime soon since the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air was refreshed this year (the latter was refreshed a week ago). It could take a year or even more till this upgraded model will see the light of the day. It is also believed that the super slim form factor might come to the MacBook Pro.

A powerful super slim notebook doesn't seem like a bad idea at all. It is believed that Apple will introduce the design technology used in the MacBook Air to the MacBook Pro. A different source claims that this new super slim notebook will be launched as a refreshed MacBook Pro in both 15 and 17" models. The new Mac notebook apparently will be launched by the end of this year. We recommend you to take this rumor with a pinch of salt for now since there is no confirmation.

Apple refreshed the line up of MacBook Air last week. The refresh included new features such as a backlit keyboard, Thunderbolt I/O port, and next gen Intel processors. We personally think the news \ rumour has come out earlier than expected, which happens when any new device is launched. The prospects of a 15 and 17" super slim Mac notebook however seem very enticing.

The MacBook Air is currently available in 11 and 13" models, ranging between Rs 56,900 up to Rs 89,900. Therefore, people wishing for a bigger display have been disappointed. The inclusion of a Solid State Drive instead of the regular Optical Drive makes the MacBook Air one of the thinnest notebooks around. Hence, if Apple actually decides to launch a MacBook Pro with a similar form factor, things could get a lot better. Of course, all of this is a mere speculation for now.

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