MacBook Air upgrade kit bumps capacity to 256GB, turns old module into USB 3.0 SSD

Sure, the only remotely user-replaceable component on the 11.6-inch MacBook Air are those tiny Toshiba SSDs, but PhotoFast's got what might be one of the most elegant upgrade solutions we've ever seen. The Air USB 3 Adapter gives you not only a brand-spanking-new 256GB module with a Sandforce SF-1200 controller, but a speedy USB 3.0 flash drive too -- which smartly doubles as the mechanism by which you move your old files over, as you can just transfer everything through the USB port. Once you're done swapping modules, the company says you'll see a 30 percent speed boost over the original drive, with reported transfer rates of 250MB/s on both sequential reads and writes. Shame the Japanese company didn't specify any sort of estimated release date or price.

Via : PhotoFast, engadget

Prototype MacBook Air Spotted?

Whispers of a MacBook Air refresh have been going around recently and now a picture of a new 13.3-inch MacBook Air has surfaced, with the lower panel opened, showing the increase in battery capacity. Before you get too happy, the leak mentions that it's still running the same Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor as the current generation MacBook Air, hinting that this might be a prototype, possibly dating back to at least April.

Regardless of whether it's a prototype or final product, it's still good news that Apple is looking to improve its MacBook Air. Other improvements include a modern unibody style chassis, along with a large single mouse button trackpad, similar to that found on modern MacBooks.

Via : ubergizmo

Apple May Launch Mini MacBook Air Next Week

There are strong rumors that Apple will be introducing their new smaller MacBook Air by next week. Sources reported that the price will be significantly lower than the current MacBook price ($1499).

Though the exact dimensions are not known, new new Mini MacBook Air is described as “smaller and sleeker” by the company. The current rumor says that it will about 11.6 inches or will be in between 9.7 and 13.3 inches (slightly more than an iPad). According to the sources the new Air will be using an older version of Intel’s core processor with Nvidia MCP89 chipset rather than the new core i5/i7 chips, which is used in MacBook pro models.

The New Mini MacBook Air will have a longer battery life as well. It is not confirmed whether the Air will have an “instant-on” capability

Via : hardgeek

MacBook Air dual refresh confirmed? 13.3″ & 11.6″ with super-fast boot tipped

More anonymous sources have come forward with MacBook Air refresh information, corroborating leaks over the weekend about what Apple are tipped to be announcing at their “Back to the Mac” event this coming Wednesday. According to Cult of Mac‘s “well-placed source”, Apple is indeed readying two versions of the new MacBook Air, a direct 13.3-inch replacement to the current model and a smaller, 11.6-inch “netbook” version.

As for specifications, the source claims that Apple will offer two CPUs: a 2.1GHz processor with 2GB of RAM as standard, and a 2.4 GHz with 4GB of RAM. Each will have an SSD, which Apple has taken advantage of to speed up boot times. ”It boots so fast, it’s unbelievable” their source says, while the physical design “does not have curves. It has straight edges. It’s boxier, like the iPhone 4.”

Like the MacBook Pro range it has a unibody aluminum chassis though is apparently not as curvy, with a USB port on each side, a non-angled MagSafe connector, a Mini DisplayPort and an SD card slot. The keyboard is tipped as the same black layout as the MacBook Pro, with a multitouch trackpad and integrated button underneath. Graphics are courtesy of NVIDIA’s GeForce 320M, while the battery is 50-percent bigger, delivering 8-10 hours of battery life.

Finally, pricing. Though the source is claiming prices could be as low as $1,100 for the 13-inch MacBook Air and $999 for the 11-inch version, Cult of Mac reckon $1,400 and $1,100 respectively is more likely. We’ll be liveblogging the whole Back to the Mac event on Wednesday, so join us at http://live.slashgear.com/ for all the news as it happens.

Via : slashgear