With an aluminum case and LED backlit display, multi-touch MacBook is said to be Apple's newest product. Although these impressive (but likely to be true) specs are yet to be confirmed, sources are citing Citigroup as saying that “the first shipments of Apple's next-generation 13-inch MacBooks have left China ahead of a large-scale manufacturing ramp scheduled for later this month.”

A quote from the aforementioned international financial conglomerate reveals that Apple is planning to introduce its fall line of notebooks “within weeks.” In a "Company Flash" bulletin issued to clients on Monday, Rich Gardner, analyst at Citigroup, noted, "Field checks confirm that shipments of new MacBooks have begun, with a sharp production ramp planned for September and an introduction planned for early October."

Others imply that Apple might be ditching the MacBook Pro model, to be able to focus on different-sized “standard” MacBooks, with their respective “under the hood” particularities. Whether the Pro dubbing is going to be left out or not, Apple shouldn't have reasons to turn its back on professional users, who need an outstanding raw computing power, as well as reliability.

Citigroup's analyst added that "the most distinctive features of the new MacBook appear to be a very thin aluminum casing, an LED-backlit display and an aggressive entry-level price point." Sadly, no mention of any built-in multi-touch technology is made in the note to clients but, since even the new iPods got the aluminum treatment, next-gen MacBooks clearly don't deserve less.

However, Apple's famous multi-touch technology is widely expected to be introduced in a revamped line of notebooks. Ongoing rumors about a new MacBook touch have been floating around the Mac blogosphere for a year now, with clear indication that a multi-touch-enabled laptop makes perfect sense for the company at this time.

But, since analysts must present their clients with attractive figures first, we can assume Gardner left out the multi-touch aspect in favor of his Buy rating on Apple's shares, which, on Friday, saw another $6.44 (or 4.32 percent) decrease to $142.50. The analyst is confident, though, that September quarter earnings will rise up to his estimates of $1.20 per share on sales of $8.3 billion, even despite recent iPod price cuts and the end of Apple's back-to-school initiative.

What is probably the most attractive aspect regarding the new MacBook line is the allegation that said next-gen systems are due out in the following weeks. We'll make sure you get the latest updates as soon as more is revealed. In the meanwhile, leave your opinion below.