Apple deflates cost of Air laptop

Apple on Thursday shaved $500 off the price of the upgraded version of its supermodel-thin MacBook Air laptop, to $2,598 from $3,098.

The base model, with a slower processor and hard-disk drive instead of the solid-state drive, remains $1,799.

Apple wouldn’t say whether the price reduction had anything to do with the July 11 release of its highly anticipated iPhone 3G. Said spokesman Bill Evans: “From time to time we adjust the price of configure-to-order options for our systems.”

Apple may be doing it to lift sales, which have been relatively modest, according to an executive for an authorized online Apple reseller who did not want to incur the wrath of Steve Jobs by having his name divulged.

“You have creative pros who want all the bells and whistles,” he said. “But the MacBook Air is so thin, it doesn’t really have that.”

Measuring 0.76-of-an-inch thick and weighing 3 pounds, the MacBook Air was introduced in January. Apple has not disclosed sales figures for the laptop, but industry analysts believe it hasn’t flown off the shelves -- as light as it is.