Macbook Air rivals on way? – Intel make small CPU available to all
By Dave Parrack
The recently unveiled Macbook Air may have nothing more going for it than an ability to fit inside a Manila envelope, but that’s not going to stop a swathe of copycat rivals turning up over the next few months.
Intel have now announced that the reduced in size 65nm Core 2 Duo processor which is residing in the Macbook Air, is now available for all companies to purchase, and it looks like two have already placed orders.
PC Pro are reporting that computer manufacturers Lenovo and Fujitsu Siemens have already made plans for compact laptops to rival the Macbook Air, and contacted Intel about purchasing the specially designed CPU to fit inside them.
What’s interesting however are the rumours about design and price which could seriously dent Apple’s aspirations for the Macbook Air, and leave it as nothing more than a design innovation which produced reams of publicity, but no sales.
Firstly, Apple competitors are looking to put their rival laptops on the market for considerably less than the minimum $1,800 you’re going to have to spend to grab a Macbook Air.
The success of the Eee PC from Asus has shown the way in terms of ultra affordable, and ultra portable laptops, and that is now the market companies will be going after. If they can combine the two, then they’ll have a definite winner on their hands.
The other thing is the basic use of usability with the Macbook Air. It seems the product design was a case of style over substance, and a user’s basic need for features such as an optical drive, and external ports totally forgotten about in the quest for a machine that looks good, and can fit inside a Manila envelope.
It looks like the manufacturers trying to outdo the Macbook Air will go for a combination of style and design sensibilities, coupled with the capacity for the machine to actually be of any use to anyone.
If someone achieves this, then I predict a dire outlook for the Macbook Air, and Apple itself.
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