2011 11.6-inch MacBook Air Replaces White MacBook

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Apple has launched a bunch of new products, which we have covered for you already: OS X Lion, the 11.6- and 13.3-inch MacBook Airs, the new Mac Mini and the Apple Thunderbolt Display. But while the Apple online store has been updated to reflect the product refreshes, we noticed that a certain notebook, the 13.3-inch white plastic MacBook, has disappeared from the site (see image after the break).

That’s right, Apple has decided to cancel the product and to focus on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, as its only laptop products right now. Therefore the new 11-inch MacBook Air has become the cheapest MacBook available from Apple; the entry-level device that will take the place of the soon-to-be-forgotten 13-inch white MacBook.

Considering the direction Apple is heading, and the popularity of the MacBook Air, we’re certainly not surprised to see the MacBook go. The white notebook doesn’t fit Apple’s line of products anymore and it certainly pales when compared to the new generation of Mac notebooks, especially the new Airs.

So let’s take a look at what the basic entry-level MacBook Air will have to offer:

• aluminum unibody design
• full QWERTY backlit keyboard
• multitouch trackpad
• 11.6-inch high-resolution LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
• 1,366 x 768 native resolution
• height: 0.11-0.68 inches
• width: 11.8-inch
• depth: 7.56-inch
• weight: 2.38 pounds
• 64GB flash storage
• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Sandy Bridge) CPU with 3MB shared L3 cash
• 2GB of RAM
• Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory
• FaceTime camera
• Dual display and video mirroring with support for 2,560 x 1,600 resolution on external display
• 2 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 Thunderbolt Port
• headphone jack and microphone
• 35-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery: up to 5 hours of wirelesss web; up to 30 days of standby.
• 45W MagSafe power adapter
• 802.11n Wi-Fi
• 802.11 a/b/g support
• Bluetooth 4.0 support
• Stereo speakers
• Omnidirectional microphone
• OS X Lion

As you can see the 11-inch MacBook Air is already a pretty mean machine. We have shown you above the basic, entry-level configuration that will cost you $999. For $200 extra you will get an 128GB SSD, a dual-core 1.8GHz Intel Core i7 with 4MB of shared L3 cache and 4GB of RAM; or an even more powerful machine.

Of course you will say that an 11.6-inch display may not be enough for your needs when at home or back at the office. Especially considering that the basic white MacBook had a 13.3-inch LCD. Well that’s where an Apple Thunderbolt Display, or any kind of monitor really, would come in handy. And of course, if you want more screen real estate on the go you could very well opt-in for a 13.3-inch MacBook Air (one of the new models) with pricing starting at $1,299.

What’s the next Apple notebook or desktop that you plan to purchase (you can answer our poll here)? Is it the 11.6-inch MacBook Air by any chance?