More details surface on Apple's next-generation MacBook Airs

Kasper Jade |

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A few more alleged details on Apple's forthcoming revamp of the MacBook Air line continue to trickle in, with one data point likely providing an explanation for the photo of a unreleased 13.3-inch MacBook Air design that surfaced overnight.

One of the people who helped flesh out some of the specifics in AppleInsider's report friday on the 11.6-inch MacBook Air has added a bit more color to story. According to this person:

  • The 11.6-inch MacBook Air won't replace the 13.3-inch model, but will instead complement it as a more aggressively-priced option.
  • Both the new 11.6- and 13.3-inch models sport matching outfits in the form of new, all-unibody designs and single button trackpads.
  • The port door found on the existing MacBook Air is gone from the new designs, which feature a port layout similar to the existing MacBook Pros.
  • The new "SSD card" storage is based off an SATA connection.
  • The base component of both models is just slightly thicker than a standard USB port at its thickest point.

As such, AppleInsider believes the photo of the mysterious 13.3-inch MacBook Air that appeared on Engadget last night is indeed a prototype (from back in April) of the new 13.3-inch MacBook Air and is architecturally very close to what Apple plans to release next week alongside the new 11.6-inch model.

From that image, along with one also published of the machine's system profile, it appears that:

  • The new SSD card-based storage sits above and to the left of the new battery chamber, which appears to include 4 separate battery components.
  • The unit has dual USB ports, one on each side
  • Other I/O include a MagSafe power adapter, mini DisplayPort, and SD card reader
  • The prototype from April is running the same 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor found in the current generation MacBook Air
  • It also has 2GB of memory as standard
  • Bus speed clocks in at 1.07GHz
  • The unit identifies itself as MacBook Air 3,1

For additional details on the new MacBook Air's, please see AppleInsider's earlier report.