With iPad Out, Apple’s Focus Is to Upgrade MacBooks

With most of the public's attention recently shifted towards the iPad, Apple’s line of notebooks hasn’t been the subject of much debate lately. That was until a MacRumors forum poster provided the translation of a report from Taiwanese newspaper Apple Daily, which appears to claim that new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models are on track for release later this month.

The rumor site itself points out that, “While the Google translation leaves much to be desired in the way of clarity, the report seems to indicate that new models were planned for introduction in March but shortages of Intel's new chips pushed the launch back to this month.”

Also included in the translated report are references to 640GB hard drives – most likely HDD (hard disk drive) models –, an 8-hour battery performance – a one-hour jump from the current seven hours advertised by Apple for MacBook Pro systems –, and an added three hours of battery life for MacBook Air computers, which currently offer up to five hours of wireless productivity.

Finally, Apple Daily has a few details about part suppliers, noting that Quanta and Hon Hai (Foxconn) have been targeted for the assembly of the devices, while Innolux and AU Optronics have signed with Apple to provide the laptops’ LCD panels.

Rumors of Apple’s plans to upgrade its entire range of MacBook computers have long been hitting the wires, but it’s only now that they are less regarded as utter speculation. With the iPad finally in customers’ hands, Apple can finally focus on other priorities, namely hardware refreshes. If this rumor is confirmed as accurate, Apple’s updated MacBooks will ship with Mac OS X 10.6.3 pre-installed.

In related news, Apple plans to unveil the next version of the iPhone’s operating system during an event scheduled for April 8th. It’s around then that Apple may also offer a sneak peek at the next-generation iPhone.