More Affordable Macbook Air From Apple Puts Pressure On Clone Makers

The new Macbook Air is going to be a tough cookie to crack for Asus, MSI and so many others who have queued up to release netbooks or ultra portable laptops capable of competing with Apple's ultra slim computers.

Apple has anticipated the credit crunch drop in demand by cutting the price of its MBA models by up to $700 (compared to the original launch prices). The entry level which has a Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM and a 120GB hard disk drive costs only $1499 while for $300, you will get a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 2GB RAM and a 128GB SSD.

The rest of the Macbook Air hasn't been upgraded. The screen is still a gorgeous 13.3-inch LED backlit model. Punters will get the same aluminium unibody enclosure, the nVidia Geforce 9400M integrated chipset, all packed in that 3 pounds.

So all in all, same laptop, but significantly cheaper. Apple UK sells the cheaper Macbook Air for £1149 - nearly £200 more than the US version - with free shipping and 0% finance for a new Mac while the more expensive version will cost you £1349.

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