It all started with a report that Apple is considering selling a $799 MacBook Air this summer to compete against ultrabooks.
Apple is reportedly considering responding to the upcoming second-generation ultrabooks by launching a US$799 MacBook Air in the third quarter of 2012, according to sources . . . Intel continues to aggressively push ultrabooks and is aiming to have the devices priced at US$699 in the second half of the year. However, if Intel is unable to bring down (prices) to its goal, the price gap between ultrabooks and the US$799 MacBook Air may further postpone the time ultrabooks become standardized, the sources noted.
The report, by the often questionable DigiTimes, has been dissected and dismissed by at least one blogger, according to GigaOm. Her main points: the MacBook Air is already selling well at $999, Apple isn't afraid of ultrabooks, ultrabooks aren't selling that well anyway and Apple doesn't do price-cuts.
While there definitely some truth in Erica Ogg's writing, she's operating under the assumption that Apple will always do business like it has in the past decade with Steve Jobs at the helm. Now with new chief executive Tim Cook, things are a little different. Perhaps he's a little more interested in the lower-priced items for the developing world or perhaps a stripped-down version of an Apple device is an intriguing idea.
However, the ultrabook was created by Apple's competitors to compete with the skinny MacBook Air -- so why would Apple want to base its decisions on something that was already a copy of itself?
