Rumor: Apple to introduce a new, different type of Mac

August 22, 2011 By Jeffrey Van Camp

Apple's extraordinarily popular MacBook line may be getting a new addition similar to the MacBook Air if rumors from Japan hold any water.

We’ve heard rumblings that the MacBook Air is where Apple is taking its lineup of Macs. Today’s rumor seems to verify this. Macatakara.jp claims that Apple is preparing to unveil a new line of MacBooks that are different from anything currently on the market. They are so different that they may get a new name or brand identity all together. Unfortunately, the rumor is extremely vague on details, but does note that the new Macs may debut before the “end of this year.”

AppleInsider claims that Macatakara.jp is somewhat hit or miss with rumors. The brief and vague nature of the report also lends itself to a lot of criticism. The new product, if there is one, could be a line of MacBook Pros that are taking on a MacBook Air design philosophy, meaning they’re much thinner, have no disc drives, and have a solid state drive instead of a moving hard drive. This makes sense, as laptop PCs seem to be moving in the direction of solid state drives.

If this is the case, however, it seems likely that the source would have mentioned the MacBook Air as these would essentially look a lot like it, just bigger. We’ll keep you posted, but until we hear more, take this rumor lightly.

Showing 9 comments

Adam Berberich at 7:46am 24th August 2011 SSDs will definitely be more prominent as the costs go down and the mainstream user desires a faster solution. Ridding the optical drive would definitely help design aesthetics and move folks to the Mac App Store and digital media powerhouse iTunes even moreso (adios, blu-ray). i think it's a step in the right direction, frankly. i haven't used my optical drive on my MBPro for a long time now. On the flip side, if I run into a situation where I needed it, I'd like it to be there so I think Apple not incorporation optical drives into their mainstream laptops is still a couple years away. But if you need it, the SuperDrive that can be connected to a MBAir, for example, runs an extra $80. Not too bad considering you're already dropping a mint on the computer anyway.
shockice at 8:15pm 22nd August 2011 They are just getting rid of optical drives to force everyone onto buying from the Apple App Store which in turns forces you to stay on a Mac since they are not Windows or Linux compatible... whereas buying software from a physical store typically comes in Windows & Mac compatibility. They already have a optical driveless laptop in the Air... it's a shame to see Apple so threatened by the possibility that people will simply switch back to Windows they are ruining the Pro laptops in that pursuit.
1. Jeffrey Van Camp at 8:46pm 22nd August 2011 You have an interesting theory there. And unlike all other platforms, Apple may force you to buy software from only its store. I'm not sure Windows is their fear, but Apple does like to lock people in.
Nathan Clarke at 9:30pm 22nd August 2011 .....oh, and you'll pay a premium for it....
Lindsworth Horatio Deer at 6:24pm 22nd August 2011 A NC (Network computer) like the Google chromeBook, only the same form factor as the Apple MacBook Air!! Will DEFINATELY be following this one up!!!
Nathan Clarke at 3:09pm 22nd August 2011 It'll be something along the lines of a chromebook or an iPad type slate with keyboard a la asus transformer. "MacSlate"?
James Phillips at 2:48pm 22nd August 2011 Oooo I hope it's pink!
Abhimanyu Sukhwal at 2:44pm 22nd August 2011 yeah, finally...product diversification.
Andrew McCoy at 2:44pm 22nd August 2011 shocker