Apple Chomps $500 Off MacBook Air

Last week I wrote about how Apple's new iPhone 3G retails for $100 less than its predecessors. The reason -- price drops in its component parts.

It seems that the company is doing the same thing with the MacBook Air. Released in January, the Air is an ultra light notebook with a height of 0.16-0.76 inches and a weight of three pounds. Equipped with with an 80GB hard drive or the optional 64GB solid state drive (SSD), the laptop was originally priced at $3,058. (Source: apple.com)

The new set price for the 64GB SSD Air is $2,598, while the notebook loaded with the regular hard-drive remains $1,799. (Source: computerworld.com)

The unpublicized price-change was made on July 3. Apple decided to make the change because of cheaper component parts, notably because the 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo upgrade and the Flash memory-based 64GB SSD upgrade are not $100 and $400 less, respectively. (Source: efluxmedia.com)

The change is notable for consumers because the MacBook Air is no longer the most expensive item on Apple's menu. The 17" MacBook Pro now holds top spot at $2,799. (Source: computerworld.com)

The fact that both the iPhone 3G and the MacbookAir have seen significant price drops (compared to their overall price) has lead some to speculate that the price drops aren't entirely caused by component prices. The notebook market is a competitive place; given that Toshiba unveiled a lighter notebook than the Air just last month, Apple may be feeling the squeeze.

EFlux Media reports that sales for what was formerly the world's lightest laptop haven't been stellar and that this has caused Apple to rethink the price tag to remain in the competition. The new price puts it below the 1.72 pound, $2,999 Toshiba Portege R500-S5007V.

Either these new price drops will result in decreased consumer confidence in the computer giant's products, or customers will be thrilled to grab up cheaper products. Next quarter's financial stats should have our answers.