Not long after shrinking down the Core 2 Duo especially for Apple's MacBook Air, Intel has pulled out that screw vice again and has shrunk another processor that will be incorporated into new ultrathin laptops. The announcement is likely to stir some you-know-what up for and create competition for Apple's Air.

Two laptop vendors, Lenovo and Fujitsu, have already announced incorporating Intel's low-voltage Core 2 Duo SL7100 LV chip in their latest laptops.

Belonging to Intel's Merom family, the SL7100 LV, the chip consumes less power, but also operates at a slower speed - 1.2GHz (4MB of cache memory). It uses just 12 watts of power, comparable to the MacBook Air's, which uses 20 watts power.

Independent of the MacBook Air processor, "These [SL7100 LV processors] are similar but not identical to the Apple processor," said Connie Brown, an Intel spokeswoman. She added that the MacBook Air processor was specially developed to meet Apple demand for what they wanted with the Air, while also making it available to other PC makers.

Lenovo, for example, will use the new SL7100 LV in a new notebook. Specifications disclosed via Best Buy's Web site say 2GB of RAM, a 64GBsolid-state drive and a 13.3-inch screen, as far as the new ThinkPad X300 goes.

But here's the most interesting part of the news. Fujitsu will also be including the SL7100 LV in its systems, particularly in the ultraportable LifeBook P8010 laptop. This one is to sport a 12.1-inch screen, wireless and wired networking and... hold on to your armchair... a DVD-RW drive, according to a document filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

Needless to say, Intel has seemingly pulled the fast one on Apple, as Fujitsu's LifeBook P8010 will launch both slim and sporting an optical drive. MacBook Air owners need to buy an add-on for reading/writing discs. Not that this isn't enough to kill the Air, but if Fujitsu adds a couple of extra USB ports and say... a removable battery as well, the world's thinnest is a goner.