Edible Apple

Apple earlier this week introduced third generation models of its ultraportable MacBook Air line. Available in 11 and 13-inches, the new Airs sport Intel core i5 and i7 processors, support for Bluetooth 4.0, faster RAM, and thankfully, a new backlit keyboard as well. Also in tow is Thunderbolt, Apple’s new transfer technology it developed jointly with Intel.

Now DigiTimes is reporting that shipments of the latest MacBook Air revamp topped half a million during the month of June and that volume is expected to remain steady throughout July and August.

The sources estimated that Apple’s MacBook series sales will reach 13-14 million units in 2011 and may even reach 15 million units, while adding that Apple is the only vendor that has provided a full shipments forecast to the first quarter of 2012 as the IT industry is being rather conservative about the overall demand in the second half of 2011.

Speaking to the popularity of the MacBook Air, Apple earlier this week axed its entry level white MacBook model and will instead position the 11-inch Air as the base model for its line of notebooks. Note that while consumers won’t be able to purchase Apple’s white $999 MacBook anymore, educational institutions will be able to snatch them up for $899.

And lest anyone have any concerns about the power of the Air, early benchmarking reveals that the latest Air is on par, performance wise, with last year’s 17-inch MacBook Pro.