Apple Sets New Laptop Launch Event

Apple (APPL Quote) will finally launch its next generation of notebooks next week, following weeks of rumors about low-cost laptops and a specially-built MacBook casing technology code-named Brick.

Invitations to an event, which read "the spotlight turns to notebooks" were emailed to journalists Thursday , suggesting that the "product transition" recently described by Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer is just around the corner.

Precise details of next Tuesday's launch at the Town Hall on Apple's Cupertino, Calif., campus, however, remain shrouded in secrecy.

Apple, whose stock has taken a pounding during the economic crisis, is keen to overhaul its notebook line at a time of falling PC sales.

With the holidays just weeks away, Apple is prepping an $800 laptop for its Cupertino launch, according to the Inquisitr Web site. Citing a source, Inquisitr says Apple retail stores have been given price sheets that list 12 price points for the new range, with prices between $800 and $3,100.

Apple shares were up 26 cents to $90.04 in recent trading.

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