Apple has released a new EFI Firmware Update for its MacBook Air, bringing the update’s version up to 2.1 and adding some fixes and enhancements for Thunderbolt Displays and Target Disk Mode compatibility, as well as Lion Recovery performance when used with an Internet connection in order to re-download OS X Lion from Apple’s servers. This update is exclusively for the 2011 MacBook Air models.

The new MacBook Air is loaded with the latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors, making it twice as fast as the previous generation of MacBook Air. Aside from these new processors, the new MacBook Air also features the Thunderbolt I/O technology which was recently introduced via the latest iMacs and MacBook Pros.

This is the final weekend before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off in San Francisco, and before Steve Jobs maps out Apple’s intentions for the following year. As always, rumors have been rampant, with talk of iOS 5, Mac OS X v10.7 Lion, and the mysterious iCloud leading the way. As we head towards our WWDC 2011 live blog, you can take this opportunity to catch up on what we can expect to see unveiled.

An upcoming refresh to the MacBook Air line-up is looking like a possibility, as Apple has just dropped its prices on its refurbished Air models last night, with the base model now starting at only $829 USD, a drop of $30. Although not a significant price drop, it could very well mean that Apple is hoping to clear out its inventory ahead of a refresh.

CPU World’s Gennady Shvets revealed in a report last week that Intel’s Sandy Bridge family of Core “i” processors is about to be expanded. The chipmaker is beginning production of new ultra-low voltage (ULV) variant processors that would appear to be ideal for the MacBook Air, widely rumored of late to be in line for a refresh to come sometime in the next couple of months.

According to Taiwanese IT industry watching site Digitimes’s Yen-Shyang Hwang, Yenting Chen, and Adam Hwang, the Taiwan-based supply chain for Apple products will begin shipping refreshed 11.6″ and 13.3″ MacBook Air models featuring Sandy Bridge Core “i” CPU silicon and supporting the Thunderbolt I/O interface in late May for launch in June or July.

A few days ago, Appletell reported that new iMacs may be coming soon. It now looks like the MacBook Air is going to get a June refresh as well. The rumor is that the new MacBook Air models would use Intel’s Sandy Bridge microprocessors, integrated Intel graphics, and the Thunderbolt I/O port—all features the MacBook Pro received when it was refreshed earlier this year. It’s also likely that there will be news soon concerning the MacBook and whether it will be refreshed as well or dropped entirely.

Apple is set to hold a press conference next week dubbed “Back to the Mac.” The invitation indicates that the next iteration of Mac OS X—Lion—will be unveiled. But how about Mac hardware? Specifically, the seemingly neglected MacBook Air? Well, some reliable sources are reporting that Apple is, in fact, set to announce a new “smaller and sleeker” MacBook Air. How small? Rumors say we’ll be looking at an 11.6 inch screen.

Have you been holding off on making the plunge and purchasing a NVIDIA based MacBook Air until they started shipping? Wait no longer, as many customers are now reporting that their slim, lightweight laptops are now on their way. Although Steve Jobs said they wouldn’t be shipping until around November 5th, it appears as if more »

With all the news about the major revamp of the Macbook family, it’s easy to forget that Apple also made a few revisions to the former favorite child, the Macbook Air. The Air now features the same NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card as both the Macbook and Macbook Pro (though the Pro also features a more »