Apple has perfected the art of maintaining silence over product release dates even when it is under duress from guessed dates provided by media and analysts who toy with customer expectations.

Another failed prediction about the Mac OS X Lion release date has failed to elicit a response from Apple about it. Apple website still reads: OS X Lion coming to the Mac App Store this July for just $29.99.

Presently rumors state that Apple will release the Mac OS X Lion upgraded versions of MacBook Airs which will feature Sandy Bridge chips. It was rumored that the Mac OS X Lion would emerge from the Cupertino den on July 14 even though Apple has released past versions of its Mac OS X updates usually on Friday's.

A list provided by Computerworld sums up a timeline of earlier four OS X releases which coincidentally were released on a Friday:

--OS 10.6, Snow Leopard: Friday August 28, 2009

--OS 10.5, Leopard: Friday, October 26, 2007

--OS 10.4, Tiger: Friday, April 29, 2005

--OS 10.3, Panther: Friday, October 24, 2003.

As and when the Mac OS X Lion arrives, there are some guidelines which Apple has provided in a list of pre-requisites to run the OS. The primary requirement to run Mac OS X is that the system is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor. Also the Mac OS X Lion will not be offered on a disk but can be downloaded from the Mac App Store, which would necessitate having the latest version of OS X Snow Leopard.

Mac OS X Lion brings 250 new features which include new multi-touch gestures to interact with the OS. The gestures bring intuitive quality to navigation. Gestures on trackpad can be used to switch between apps and view control mission. Gestures coming to Mac OSX Lion include two-finger scroll, tap to zoom, pinch to zoom, swipe to navigate and a swipe on the trackpad that also gives bird's eye-view of everything running on a Mac.

It also brings full-screen apps display, access to Mac App Store, Launchpad - a full-screen home for all the apps on your Mac. Just click the Launchpad icon in your Dock. Your open windows fade away, replaced by a full-screen display of your entire app.

Other features include Air Drop which allows users to transfer files wirelessly without a Wi-Fi network, Mail which uses the entire display to feature messaging, auto save and versions which take a historical snapshot of documents. It also allows users to access Safari browser directly from the lock screen.

Also since the OS X Lion is not available on a disk, it will feature in-built trouble shooting tools.

Since running a Mac OS X Lion requires up to 2GB RAM it is rumored that the new MacBook Airs will feature 4GB RAM. AppleInsider reported that Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is no longer placing orders for MacBook Airs with 2GB of RAM. Huo also forecasts that upcoming MacBook Airs will feature 128GB and 256 GB pluggable SSD drives.

Huo further stated that the new MacBook Air's will be powered by the Core i5-2467M (1.6GHz), i7-2637M (1.7GHz), and i7-2677M (1.8GHz) range of Sandy Bridge processors.

Apple unveiled its next generation of MacBook Airs in October 2010. The MacBook Airs were launched in 11-inch and 13-inch models. The new laptops set a new benchmark in the industry as they sported ultra-thin features. The 11.6-inch MacBook Air weights a mere 2.3 pounds while the 13.3-inch model weighs about 2.9 pounds.

The 11.6-inch model is incredibly thin measuring 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest. Both the models use solid state storage and offer up to seven hours of battery life and 30 days stand-by time.

It is also surmised that MacBook Air will feature Thunderbolt I/O which allows a user to daisy chain up to six new peripherals and transmits data at a speed of up to 10Gbps. Other expected features include voice recognition capability and back-lit keyboard.

It is also rumored that since the Mac Book Airs will feature Sandy Bridge chips, the new laptops could be thinner than the existing MacBook Airs. However, MacBook Air will meet new ultra-thin laptops like Sony's VAIO Z Series of notebooks. Also recently Intel revealed its strategic plans at the Computex Taipei trade show where it outlined plans to introduce the Ultrabook category of processors.

These chips will power ultra-thin laptops measuring 20mm less in thickness and will bring tablet-like features on the notebook. Asustek's UX21 mimics this concept as the laptop is about 17mm at its thickest point. The device is powered by Intel Core i7 chips. Asustek is expected to price the laptop $100 cheaper than the MacBook Air.

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