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AppleInsider is reporting with increasing confidence that MWSF in January 2008 will see the launch of the 13" super-slim, ultra-portable, much-rumored Mac subnotebook.

The optical disc drive is gone, the enclosure, like the MacBook Pro and PowerBook G4, is aluminium, and on-board NAND flash for virtually instantaneous boot times and low power consumption.

The 13" LCD panel will utilize LED backlights, like the current MBP to improve power efficiency.

Analysis: Price will be the key. Would 'MacBook Duo' (for want of a better name) cannibalize existing MacBook/MBP sales? Or would it be 'second' notebook? Would it woo Windows users to the Mac camp? Weight, too, will be the deal-maker.

Frankly, the omission of the DVD drive would be no biggie. Flash drives and iPods do the backup business these days, so the only loss would be the inability to do CD/DVD backups, or watch discs while travelling. But DVDs can be easily ripped and stored on hard drives, while Apple and third parties would be sure to offer compact, USB CD/DVD drives.