Parts for Apple’s Mysterious 15-inch Ultra-Thin Notebook Now Shipping

Parts for a rumored ultra-thin MacBook Pro are now shipping in small volumes, according to upstream Asian suppliers doing business with Apple.

Citing the industry sources in question, Digitimes says suppliers have started shipping a small volume of components for “a 15-inch ultra-thin notebook model from Apple”.

The report says this computer could be either “MacBook Air or just a thinner MacBook Pro,” which falls in line with recent rumors on the matter.

The new laptop is expected to drop sometime in early 2012, sources from the upstream supply chain said.

It is being speculated that such a device, boasting a chassis that doesn’t go over 0.8-inches in depth (at its thickest point) will do away with the optical drive. The MacBook Air doesn’t have one, but the MacBook Pros do. Either way, Apple is on track to eliminate optical units out of all its portable Macs.