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MacBook Air selling out: Should we care?

Certain Apple MacBook Air models appear to be sold out at major online retailers. Does this really mean anything?

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers

Certain Apple MacBook Air models appear to be sold out at major online retailers. Does this mean a new product is imminent or just that an aging product has limited availability?

More speculative reports this week pointed to certain Air models in sold-out status at authorized retailers, such MacMall and MacConnection. A quick check of Best Buy's site also indicates that the high-end 2.13GHz model is not available online (see graphic).

Some MacBook Air models are sold out at Best Buy. Is this a tea leaf MacBook Air fans should be paying attention to?
Some MacBook Air models are sold out at Best Buy. Is this a tea leaf MacBook Air fans should be paying attention to? Best Buy

That said, I made a few calls to local Los Angeles area Apple Stores and found three locations that had 1.86GHz and 2.13GHz Air models in stock. I also checked with the big Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York. They, however, were sold out, according to the sales associate I spoke with.

Should longtime MacBook Air users who are craving an update get their hopes up for a rumored smaller MacBook Air? Only Apple knows of course, but it bears repeating that the current Air, as great as it is, is showing its age.