The struggling U.S. economy might have forced Apple Inc. to unveil a budget version of its popular MacBook laptop series.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker will reportedly launch its new MacBook and MacBook Pro series of notebooks next Tuesday, with rumours pointing to a starting price of US$800 laptop. Currently, Apple’s lowest-priced laptop carries a US$1,100 retail price.
Industry observers expect the redesigned line of laptops to be thinner and constructed from aluminum – using a laser and water jet process Apple is calling “brick.” The machines could also feature a new gesture-based trackpad.
Yet another rumour suggests that Apple will switch to an nVidia-based chipset for the new series of notebooks.