Apple Preps Thinner MacBook Air, Faster iPod Touch

By Nick Mokey July 15, 2010

After over two years on the market without any major revisions, Apple’s cutting-edge MacBook Air has gone a little dull – especially in light of even slimmer competitors like Dell’s Adamo XPS. But engineers have brought out the whetstone to put an edge back on the slim laptop, along with the iPod Touch, according to new reports.

DigiTimes, the Taiwanese paper that has reliably predicted a number of netbook releases in the past, claims Apple is preparing an 11.6-inch MacBook Air as well as a new iPod Touch that will use the same A4 processor found in the new iPhone 4.

Besides the smaller screen, the new MacBook Air will offer even slimmer dimensions, lighter weight, and make use of an ultra-low-voltage processor from Intel’s new i-series. The iPod Touch will gain an A4 processor in addition to a 3-megapixel camera for photo and video recording. Both will be manufactured by Quanta Computer.

The devices are slated to begin production in the second half of 2010. Shipment volumes for the Air will be unusually low – only 400,000 in 2010 – compared to the iPod Touch, which factories are expected to churn out 17 to 18 million of.

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