Cheaper Apple Mini-Laptop Overdue

Historically, Apple has always set the bar quite high when it comes to design and usability. But that has come with a downside: higher prices than comparable Windows computers. If these rumors are correct, this new $800 portable suffers from the same problem.

A cheaper Apple laptop comes at the right time, in time for the holiday shopping season, though it would have been better for Apple if these new designs could have been ready in time for this year's back-to-school season. I'm guessing the Cupertino crew was too busy trying to get the iPhone 3G out the door and running properly to achieve that kind of deadline.

We see what's up Steve Jobs' sleeve soon enough. I'm sure it will look great. And we'll learn what Apple had to "leave out" -- if anything -- to get the price down to current marketplace realities.