New MacBook Air and Revolutionary Mac OS X Feature on Wednesday?

As we approach Apple's "Back to the Mac" media event on Wednesday, October 20th, rumors are ramping up about what Apple is expected to introduce.

155244 35lvxpe 500

A leaked image of a prototype MacBook Air seems to confirm rumors that Apple is working on a new form of Solid State Drive (SSD) that could push notebook's size and cost down. Looking back at reports this past year, it seems many of these details (and one additional one) have been previously predicted through the supply chain.

As far back as July, DigiTimes reported that an 11.6" MacBook Air with a slimmer and lighter design was gearing up for production:

Kuo, citing discussions with upstream component makers, noted that the 11.6-inch MacBook Air will feature an even slimmer and lighter design than the previous-generation models and the technologies used for the design and concept are expected to be broadly used in the company's other product lines to boost their competitiveness.

DigiTimes also specified that the new MacBook Air would use one of Intel's Ultra Low Voltage processors. While Intel offers multiple "Ultra Low Voltage" (ULV) Core 2 Duo processors, the Core i7 ULV seems the most likely candidate.

073855 corei7t

Intel also offers Core i3 and Core i5 ULV chips but those top out at only 1.2GHz. One analyst also predicted that the new MacBook Air would come in two models, and that based on high unit projections, the new Airs were likely to come in at a lower starting price. In fact, CNet has since described the starting price as "much lower" then the current $1499 entry level.

111724 back to the mac invite

As for Mac OS X, Apple's invitation with the Lion image clearly hints that the next major revision of Mac OS X (10.7) will finally be revealed. Apple has long named their major Mac OS X releases after various cat names. Early rumors suggested that Apple might have introduced 10.7 earlier this year, but it seems the company's resources were focused on iOS at the time. The only real hint we've had at 10.7 was a very intriguing job description from July in which Apple was looking for someone to focus on a "revolutionary new feature" for Mac OS X.

Are you looking to help create something totally new? Something that has never been done before and will truly amaze everyone? Are you excited by the prospect that what you helped create would be used every day by millions of Apple customers? Then come and work on with the Mac OS X software engineering team to help build a new and revolutionary feature for Mac OS X.

The language of the job description seemed much more specific than Apple's usual recruitment language. Of course, it's possible that this amazing feature could be slated for the next version of Mac OS X, but the timing seems right for 10.7.

Apple's media event kicks off at 10am Pacific on Wednesday, October 20th. We'll provide ongoing coverage of the news and events.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Apple Announces iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max With New Design, Larger Battery, and More

Tuesday September 9, 2025 10:59 am PDT by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Both devices feature a new aluminum unibody design, with the Ceramic Shield now protecting both the front and back sides. Apple says the front side is now Ceramic Shield 2, which offers 3x better scratch resistance, while the rear Ceramic Shield is advertised as 4x more resistant to cracks compared to the back glass on previous...
Awe Dropping MR Live Coverage Article

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone 17, iPhone Air, New Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro 3

Tuesday September 9, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
Apple's "Awe Dropping" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the iPhone 17 lineup, several updated Apple Watch models, and the third-generation AirPods Pro unveiled, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We will also be updating...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Models Are eSIM-Only in These Countries

Tuesday September 9, 2025 12:23 pm PDT by
Apple continues to phase out the physical SIM card tray on iPhones, with the latest models relying solely on eSIM technology in more countries. The new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max support eSIMs only in these countries and regions, according to Apple: Bahrain Canada Guam Japan Kuwait Mexico Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Un...
iphone air

Apple Announces iPhone Air With Ultra-Thin Design

Tuesday September 9, 2025 10:45 am PDT by
Apple today unveiled the iPhone Air, an all-new kind of iPhone featuring an ultra-thin design. The iPhone Air is just 5.6mm thick, making it the thinnest iPhone ever. The frame is made of titanium with a polished mirror finish. The device features Ceramic Shield 2 with 3x better scratch resistance and 4x better crack resistance, on both sides of the device for the first time. Apple says that ...
airpods pro 2

Two Versions of AirPods Pro 3 Coming With These Differences

Monday September 8, 2025 4:51 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch two versions of the AirPods Pro 3 over 2025 and 2026, according to a Weibo leaker. Yesterday, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to debut the AirPods Pro 3 this year. They could arrive as soon as this week at Apple's "Awe dropping" event. Crucially, Kuo added that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to this year's AirPods ...
airpods translate

AirPods Live Translation Blocked for EU Users With EU Apple Accounts

Thursday September 11, 2025 4:01 am PDT by
Apple's new Live Translation feature for AirPods will be off-limits to millions of European users when it arrives next week, with strict EU regulations likely holding back its rollout. Apple says on its feature availability webpage that "Apple Intelligence: Live Translation with AirPods" won't be available if both the user is physically in the EU and their Apple Account region is in the EU....