The 15-inch Air has been a subject of rumor in the past; earlier this month, DigiTimes reported a 15-inch ultraportable was in the works from Apple, though at the time it wasn’t clear whether this would be an addition to the MacBook Pro line or an Air notebook. According to the sources for Monday’s report, component suppliers have already begun early production of 11- and 13-inch Air models and will add a 15-inch version, so it’s likely this is the machine those earlier reports made reference to.

Apple’s MacBook Air is increasingly becoming a key product for Apple, especially for its computer business. The Air has been cited by Apple execs in recent calls as a strong seller, and could become Apple’s flagship notebook with relatively low entry-level pricing and extreme portability. A major update of the Air line, including the introduction of a new 15-inch model, is a good way for Apple to maintain its grasp on the ultraportable market as more competitors move to try to take some of that market in 2012.

A larger MacBook Air could be more appealing to MacBook Pro customers who value screen size for work real estate, while also offering a larger display better suited to older eyes, and potentially longer battery life, too. If Apple can combine that with a decent price, I think we’ll see a larger Air add significantly to its ability to remain competitive in this market.

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Apple tested the waters for an ultraslim notebook with the original MacBook Air, and at the time, it came with a lot of trade-offs. Back in early 2008, not including an optical disc drive seemed like a very bizarre move. And while the laptop’s price ($1,799) meant that it was out of range for most consumers, it still didn’t offer the muscle necessary to appeal to professionals.

But it did accomplish three important things: It put the idea of an Apple ultraportable into the minds of the notebook-buying public; it got Apple engineers to build upon the best elements from that first design, translating it into something everyone would want and many more could buy; and it kick-started Apple’s ability to negotiate for better prices on the specialized components required to make an ultrathin MacBook.

If Apple’s ultimate goal wasn’t to emulate the Air form factor across its notebook line (even if the “Pro” designation remains for 15- and 17-inch models, as TUAW says will happen), that would be a shock. Since the Air’s original introduction, optical media has become much less necessary to consumer and professional computing. And Apple’s recent decision to go with a digital-only distribution model for OS X Lion, the major update it released last week, suggests that it wants to wean users off CDs and DVDs sooner rather than later. In fact, the Mac App Store in general strongly suggests this, as did the iTunes Store before it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple had road-mapped the death of the optical drive since it figured out with the iPod that physical media is antithetical to true portability.

Apple has also shown with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that it knows thinner and lighter are of key importance to consumers when it comes to portable devices. That approach has served it well on the mobile side, so why not apply it to notebooks as well?

Based on conversations I’ve had with Mac users, the limitations that many professionals cite when explaining why they didn’t buy an Air are few: Small screen size, lack of ports, limited storage and discrete graphics are among them. If Apple can deliver those (and space freed up from removing the optical drive should help), then an ultrathin MacBook Pro is sure to be a hit. At this stage, the only barriers to 15- and 17-inch ultraportable Mac powerhouses are technical, and those are not barriers that prevent Apple from doing anything for very long.

Consider that the 128 GB SSD option, when it was first introduced in 2008, was a $700 upgrade, along with a faster processor on the second-gen MacBook Air. The 256 GB upgrade, along with a faster processor, now costs only an extra $450 for the new 11.6-inch MacBook Air; that’s double the storage for nearly half the price of just three years ago. Apple seems much better able to manage the cost of solid-state storage, due either to smart sourcing or falling flash prices in general, and that should translate to higher-capacity options in ultraportable Pros. Plus, if Apple decides to not go quite as slim as the Air, fitting a 2.5-inch drive shouldn’t be too difficult alongside SSD customization options. Such a compromise would likely allow Apple to stay within the current price range of the larger-screened MacBook Pros, if SSD prices make that otherwise difficult.

TUAW says we’ll see these new machines possibly before Christmas. Apple doesn’t usually release new Mac hardware past October in terms of its yearly cycle, but October actually could be the perfect time for an update to the Pro line. The Pro went longer than usual without an update last time around, but in 2008 it got an update in February and then again in October. This year we saw an update in February that introduced Thunderbolt and new processors, so an October update wouldn’t be unprecedented.

I think Apple is probably quite far along in the development of these machines, and it may only be that the company is waiting and watching to see how the updated MacBook Air fares to decide whether or not the market is ready for it to embrace a similar form factor across its entire lineup. If that’s the case, then I think chances are good that we’ll see a larger, Pro-level ultraportable before 2012.

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But what can we expect from those new computers? Let’s take a look at what updates we’re most likely to see at the “Back to the Mac” event.

MacBook Air

Ah, the MacBook Air. Does anyone remember how amazing it was when Steve Jobs first took this thing out of one of those yellow envelopes with the string fastener? I wanted one very badly. Luckily, reason won out and I didn’t get one, opting instead for a MacBook Pro later. I say luckily, because the Air is very expensive for what it offers, and because it seems to have been plagued by problems.

A new Air should, at the very minimum, get updated to current components, including an Intel i-series chip, like an i3 or i5. It’ll probably get a case redesign, too, if for no other reason than to make room for a bigger battery and the new-style push-button glass trackpads that are found in all other models of MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Rumors suggest there’ll also be a brand new 11.6-inch display to go along with beefier internals and other cosmetic changes. Since the MacBook Air, in a lot of ways, is as much of a hobby for Apple as the Apple TV, I do foresee them playing around with the form factor. It’s a risk they can afford to take, since it can’t really hurt sales of the ultra-portable. Even if they’re concerned about that, they could keep both a 13-inch and 11.6-inch model on offer.

MacBook

This time last year, the entry-level MacBook got a unibody design. But it wasn’t an aluminum one, like its Pro cousins. Instead it got a polycarbonate unibody shell, in classic Mac white. In May of 2010, it got a spec bump that included Mini DisplayPort A/V output.

My money’s on a new look for the MacBook. This is the last machine among all of Apple’s offerings that still boasts the white plastic look (Apple TV recently did get a black plastic makeover, though). I think by now, Apple’s process has been around long enough and it’s done enough volume with suppliers that we’ll see it finally get an aluminum shell. Don’t expect the same lines as the Pro, though. There still has to be some way for consumers to tell the machines apart at a glance.

We’ll also see internals get a boost, with maybe a chip upgrade to the Core i3 from Intel. An SD card reader slot is also a good bet for Apple’s standby notebook.

MacBook Pro

A cosmetic update every two years is apparently just about the norm for the MacBook Pro. The unibody aluminum and glass look borrowed at least in part from its iMac predecessor has been around for just about that long now. Case updates aren’t that far-fetched an expectation, and a new look across the line would definitely go a long way toward saying “We haven’t forgotten about Mac.”

We’ll probably also see the i3 make its way into the 13-inch MacBook Pro. That’ll help capitalize on the integrated batteries, boosting life further still. We could see the introduction of HDMI, since Apple’s finally relented and put that into its Mac mini desktop, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one. Better graphics are probable, too.

In short, Apple wants this event to remind people that despite the success of iOS, it hasn’t forgotten about the other side of its business. I’m willing to bet that Jobs is going to go out of his way to make a splash with new hardware next week, and show us a difference we can see. That, combined with a new version of OS X, is bound to convince the doubters.

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If the reports are reliable, then it would mean that the MacBook lineup will be using Intel’s line of i3, i5 and i7 chips, as some earlier rumors speculated. The reason we haven’t seen them yet, according to the Taiwanese publication Apple Daily, is that supply has been short thanks to a large order including all three of the models from computer maker Acer.

The report claims that all of Apple’s MacBook computers, from the MacBook itself through the Pro line and to the Air, could see updates in April, with the Intel processor change the most significant alteration. That’s not all, though. New MacBook Pro systems will reportedly have 640GB drives installed by default, with the option to upgrade to a 248GB solid-state drive. If pricing remains reasonable, it could mark the first time SSDs represent a viable alternative to standard HDDs for the average consumer.

All-day computing is another detail the report claims for the upcoming computers, with a reported eight hours of battery life. Better power management might be due only to the increased energy efficiency offered by the i3, i5 and i7 chips, rather than through any major advancements in battery technology by Apple.

Apple’s MacBook line is definitely in need of an update. The last time any of the computers was updated was in October 2009, and that was a fairly minor update to the base model MacBook. MacBook Pros haven’t seen any changes since June of last year, when I purchased mine. The MacBook Air was updated at the same time.

Since then, the iPad has essentially hogged the entire Apple product spotlight. Rumors of its impending arrival fomented for months and months, and its official announcement and release schedule has all but occluded Apple’s other offerings. I’m glad Apple’s doing well in the mobile market, since it means my iPhone’s software will not fall into neglect anytime soon, but I fear there’s too much at risk if Cupertino continues to stake its future on mobile tunnel vision.

Some of us were Mac users before the iPod, and will continue to be even if Google wins the battle for mobile market supremacy. Let’s hope Apple remembers that and rewards us with its next salvo of MacBook updates.

Apple has released what it calls “Performance Update 1.0,” an update to its Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard) operating systems for selected iMacs and MacBooks.

As Apple describes it — in typically brief fashion — in its Support pages, ”This update addresses intermittent hard drive related pauses reported by a small number of customers.”

Gotta love those detailed descriptions!

The update may be related to an EFI Firmware Update in June that some MacBook owners suspect was the cause of intermittent crashes and system freezes. This latest update may well put these problems to rest once and for all, except there’s something interesting about the name…that 1.0 suffix hints at the possibility of further revisions to come. A “Performance Update, Update” perhaps?

The update isn’t for everyone, however. It applies only to the following Mac models.

MacBook
MacBook (13-inch, Aluminum, Late 2008)
MacBook (13-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009)
MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2009)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)

MacBook Air
MacBook Air (Late 2008)
MacBook Air (Mid 2009)

Mac Mini
Mac Mini (Early 2009)

iMac
iMac (24-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (20-inch, Early 2009)
iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009)

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It’s always interesting to see how Apple makes use of the layouts of these sites to really make their ads pop. In the case of this particular run of ads on CNN.com, Apple actually created two “dummy” ads for mortgages and flights. Clicking through either of these takes you to Apple’s Why Mac page.

Here are screenshots, as well as a video of the ads in action.

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Far from being a netbook, the rumored device will sport a 15-inch screen, and will appear within months, if the source is to be believed. A 15-inch OLED screen is an expensive piece of equipment, as you know if you’ve been following the emerging tech’s development. For reference, consider that Sony’s 11-inch XEL-1 OLED TV is a staggering $2,499, and it doesn’t have a computer built-in to it. No doubt manufacturing costs have come down since the XEL-1 was created in 2007, but prices still haven’t come down to the point where Apple would be able to offer a 15-inch OLED notebook for anything less than $2,000.

I understand not compromising your high standards of quality just because the economy’s not doing so hot, but introducing a premium notebook amid financial uncertainty? Probably not the best move, unless you’re counting on the few remaining wealthy souls wanting to show off even more now that their prosperity is so very conspicuous.

No other details about the notebook were forthcoming from the source, which actually makes sense if he’s just seen what’s being made on LG’s side of things and for who. Who knows, maybe it has the sort of specs a Macbook Air Pro would have. For now though, file this as either unlikely or a misunderstanding of the ultimate destination of LG’s screens. Considering Apple’s current lineup and cost structure, I just don’t see a device like this attracting that many additional consumers without stealing from the crowd of potential Macbook Pro or Air buyers.

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Carbon fiber is an extremely strong, lightweight and very expensive composite material — a species of fiber-reinforced plastic analogically similar to familiar glass-reinforced plastic (“fiberglass”). Carbon fibers themselves are only one component of the material’s composite matrix, the other being some sort of plastic resin such as epoxy, polyester, vinyl ester or nylon. Some nominal “carbon fiber” composites also contain other fibers like kevlar, aluminum, polypropylene, or glass fiber reinforcement.

Amazingly Strong

Carbon fiber itself (a tip of the hat to Wikipedia here) consists of extremely thin fibers about 0.0002–0.0004 inches (0.005–0.010 mm) in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms bonded together in microscopic crystals which are roughly aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber. This crystal alignment makes the fiber incredibly strong for its bulk and weight. Several thousand carbon fibers are twisted together to form a yarn, which may be used by itself or woven into a fabric of extremely high strength-to-weight ratio material.

This combination of qualities has made carbon fiber composites a popular, albeit expensive, choice for use in aerospace, sailboat, sporting, musical instrument, consumer products, motor racing and motorcycle industries, where it’s been incorporated in everything from aircraft parts and laptop computers to bicycle frames and drum shells.

Full-Size Laptop — Subcompact Weight

Apple would certainly not be the first to use carbon fiber (or more accurately Carbon fiber reinforced plastic — CFRP or CRP) in the fabrication of laptop computer enclosures. Sony’s VAIO TX series notebooks have housings made of carbon fiber. MPC’s U1000, which debuted more than two years ago, is also made with carbon fiber — a traditional-sized laptop in a subcompact 4 pound package — lighter than either the unibody 13″ MacBook or the erstwhile 12″ PowerBook.

Drawing perhaps on its association with the 2008 World Constructors’ Champion Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 motor racing team, which it sponsors, Acer’s gorgeous (at least to my sense of aesthetics) series of Ferrari 1000, Ferrari 1100, Ferrari 4000, and Ferrari 5000 PC laptops all incorporate carbon fiber in their enclosures. The Acer Ferrari 4000 was claimed to be the first notebook to employ a carbon fiber casing. Voodoo PC’s M:50 and Envy 133 laptops also use carbon fiber in their chassis.

For a visualization of what a carbon fiber MacBook might look like, check out this Gizmodo report. It’s faux carbon fiber, but emulates the look.

High-Tech Materials Bragging Right Motivation?

Kasper Jade cites unnamed sources familiar with Apple’s R&D efforts saying the likelihood would be that Cupertino would replace the Air’s lower aluminum case, or bottom cover, with one constructed from carbon fiber, which would raise production costs but shave upwards of a 100 grams off the notebook, dropping its weight from a hair over 3 pounds to approximately 2.78 pounds. Not a radical weight reduction, but it would also give Apple another high-tech materials bragging right, which we can speculate may be a big part of the motivation. Jade also suggests that while this is still strictly a rumor, it’s believed a MacBook Air carbon fiber bottom is far enough along in development that it could appear in the Air’s next revision, which in the usual scheme of things would be in the spring of 2009.

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The latest move in this complicated chess game is by Adobe, and it’s not a direct retort. Instead, MacNN reports the multimedia powerhouse is announcing today that they will be rolling out an ARM-optimized version of Flash 10 in 2009, while not mentioning any specific phones by name. Of course, iPhone followers will know that the current processor for Apple’s cellular device is the Samsung ARM 1176, meaning that it would benefit from Adobe’s proposed optimization.

Flash Lite, which until now has largely stood in for Flash on handheld platforms, doesn’t pack anywhere near the punch of its full-fledged sibling, which is itself sluggish on the iPhone. The proposed new ARM-optimized Flash would use OpenGL ES 2.0-capable hardware and newer, faster processors to allow complex apps and advanced video to come to portable devices, without sacrificing speed and usability. The move could also see the introduction of Adobe AIR applications on smartphones, which would be a first.

While it is positioned as a move which encompasses a wide range of devices, the optimizations described fit the iPhone’s current hardware capabilities perfectly, and seem tailored to Jobs’ comments regarding Flash’s suitability for implementation on the device. Adobe seems not only willing to make concessions, but to eliminate any possible excuse Apple may have not to use the updated software. Combined with the decision to offer AIR and Flash to developers without royalty, which will definitely increase adoption, the optimized version will be hard for Cupertino to pass up. Or, if they do, they’ll have an even harder time explaining why to consumers.

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Adobe introduced their Creative Suite 4 (CS4) product family to the world today, almost sixteen months since the announcement of Creative Suite 3. With six editions to choose from, ranging in price from $999 to $2,499 (upgrades from $399 to $899), and thirteen standalone applications costing $199 to $999, it’s important that you have an understanding of your needs when reviewing the new features that make up each package. Adobe plans on releasing CS4 sometime in October.

Design Leads The Pack

Adobe has positioned InDesign as one of its flagship products and has added (or significantly enhanced) over ten major new features including:

• live prefight so you have instant feedback on potential problems prior to production
• easier ways to organize your workflow with a document links panel that provides a wealth of information on all your components
• the ability to tailor output via conditional text that auto-reflows based on conditions you set (without the use of layers) and even better control of how content reflows in general
• cross reference tools which allow you to dynamically update content across an entire document,
• full document export to XFL (Adobe Flash CS4) and interactive document design features with output to SWF, opening up many more uses for your creative work
• slick, new & customizable page transitions with options for PDF or SWF output
• dynamic guide placement and spread rotation tools which enable pinpoint placement and review of content

Not to be outdone, Photoshop has some significant enhancements of its own to tout, including:

• Two new panels enabling much better control over element adjustments and control over masks (pixel or vector-based)
• smoother panning and zooming when moving across an image
• distortion free (and fast!) canvas rotation
• content-aware scaling which effortlessly adjusts all image components
• improved depth-of-field control, color correction and image blending features
• better control over layers with the ability to auto-align and create panoramic views
• enhanced integration into Adobe Bridge
• improvements to workflow with tabbed or n-up multi-document views

Photoshop Extended includes significant 3D capabilities, including the ability to paint directly on 3D models or auto-wrap 2D content onto a 3D surface. Photoshop Extended also includes support for Flash-based panels that can customize virtually any portion of the image.

Illustrator catches some developer love with:

• multiple artboards (up to 100) in a single document with the ability to selectively save, export or print independently
• fine-tuned opacity control for gradients along with direct on-screen control of most gradient features with immediate feedback
• a new “blob brush” tool which generates a single clean vector shape
• full preview of print separations, helping create a “no surprises” situation when production time comes
• immediate feedback on all object customizations via the new Appearance panel

Heavy Lifters Bring Up The Middle

I use or publish PDF documents almost daily and Adobe delivers some interesting features in Acrobat 9 Pro:

• PDF Portfolio creation, which allow you to assemble all document components into a fully customizable single, dynamic PDF document
• the abiliy to embed Flash content directly into your PDF files
• compare documents (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, CAD and scans) and easily see differences in mutliple views
• significantly enhanced form building, management, deployment and analysis
• detailed preview of overprint characteristics and full preflight management (including the ability to correct problems right in Acrobat)
• seamless collaboration via features on acrobat.com
• faster launches and quicker minor edits

Flash receives a major feature uplift and finds itself easily incorporated into most CS4 products with little-to-no effort. It also gains some impressive new capabilities, including:

• object-based (vs. keyframe) animation with dirt-simple Bezier-control handles
• full 3D transformations of 2D objects
• a new “Bones” tool enabling quick creation of “inverse kinematic” (chain-like) animation and a full-featured motion editor for all components
• deco and spray brush tools which effortlessly turn symbols into design tools
• many pre-built animations to help jump-start your creative workflow
• full metadata, XFL & H.264
• the ability to publish to an AIR runtime

Untangling The Web

Adobe didn’t forget their web developer fans and has kicked up the feature sets of their three world-wide weavers. Dreamweaver starts off with a completely redesigned user interface and continues with:

• live preview mode
• AJAX & JavaScript code-hinting along with CSS best-practices context
• New code and file navigator with subversion support
• support for table-based HTML data sets
• Photoshop “Smart Object” support, allowing you to place PSD files that render source modifications automatically
• pre-release support for Adobe’s forthcoming InContext online editing service which allows end-users to modify your output without the need to purchase Dreamweaver
• the ability to publish to an AIR runtime

Fireworks fans see some sparks as well, including:

• Much improved user-interface
• Adobe AIR prototyping
• PDF export ability
• CSS-based layout export function
• Better asset management, styles manipulation, type-handling and color management
• significant performance improvements
• better team workflow management through integration with Adobe’s ConnectNow service

Contribute gains some impressive features of its own as well:

• Full support for dynamic workflows with approvals and in-context review panels
• In-browser editing (Firefox & IE only)
• Support for many blogging platforms, including MovableTyle, TypePad & WordPress
• Improved Dreamweaver integration, enhanced CSS support and a new auto-save feature to help secure your personal workflow

Keeping Things In Motion

If you have to keep things moving, then AfterEffects has some new tools to help, including support for the new 3D Photoshop layers as well as:

• fully searchable timelines and XFL composition export control
• powerful keyframe control enhancements
• integrated support for mobile-device content generation
• new cartoon effect
• integration of Mocha’s 2.5D planar tracking application
• tagged assets with XMP metadata and tight linking between Premier & Soundbooth

Premiere introduces full metadata tagging of all stages of your workflow production and:

• searchable audio via text-based, timecode-accurate metadata
• background batch encoding
• tapeless camera support without the need for transcoding or rewrapping
• over fifty editing tweaks requested by users
• better workflow and integration with other members of the CS4 suite and the ability to export projects to SWF
• Blu-ray Disc authoring (Encore
• includes OnLocation

You can’t improve the video without paying some attention to audio and Adobe has turned up the volume on Soundbooth with some new and improved features, including:

• Multitrack support (finally!)
• ASND support along with MP3 compression preview support
• speech search (shared feature with Premiere)
• automatic volume correction with volume keyframing tools
• significant enhancements to looping tools

Bringing It All Together

When you purchase the bundles, Adobe Bridge manages all of your media across all the packages while Device Central lets you tailor output to your desired audience with just a few clicks. The video-oriented toolsets can take advantage of Dynamic Link to speed up rendering and all your collaborative projects can integrate with Version Cue to greatly enhance workflow amongst your entire team.

Adobe plans on shipping all CS4 products in this October.

Are you excited about CS4? What feature are you most excited about? Let your voice be heard by dropping a note in the comments. (Beautiful icons by Adam Betts)

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