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Perhaps it wasn’t really lost among in the debut of Apple’s next-gen iPhone, the 3G S, or the latest details on Apple’s Snow Leopard operating system, but the price cut of the faster, 2.13GHz MacBook Air — cut by nearly a third, to $1,800 — inspired the loudest cheer from these precincts.

The Air isn’t, and never has been, all things to all people. In the thin/slim/light laptop sweepstakes, the Air has come up against some stiff competition of late — from Del and, Acer, with more on the way — and its way-overachieving price point, which might’ve given it more cachet among the affluent, made it an all but impossible choice among regular people.

Apple is obviously fishing for more market share — witness the cut-rate price for the Snow Leopard OS upgrade, at $29, and the mouth-watering appeal of the current iPhone 3G for only $99. But the other factor at work here, at least in terms of the high-end Air model, is the ramping up of solid-state drive production.

Early on, the formerly expensive Air model was nearly alone in the laptop pyramid with its SSD; it was never a point of value, although it certainly lent the laptop bragging rights. But prices for SSD drives have dropped sharply in the last year, the netbook craze has taken hold and one might convincingly argue that the Air’s price should have been cut months ago.

At $1,800, the top-of-the-line Air is still no bargain (nor is its sibling hard-drive-equipped model for $1,500), not when the company’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro, with a faster processor, now starts at $1,200. And some will argue that Apple misstepped by altering only the price. How about a lighter Air? Thinner? One that was 3G-capable?

But lots of MacBook Air watchers will become Apple MacBook Air buyers, and those on the Windows side of the fence will probably gloat a bit that Apple has conceded where it counts a lot — on the bucks.

Early adopters usually pay dearly for that pleasure. Did you pay $2,500 recently for a MacBook Air? Let us know your reaction.

Meanwhile, changes were announced at the Apple fest for these other Mac laptops:

– In the MacBook Pro line, there’s an updated 15-inch model starting at $1,699. The unibody design carries over, but Apple has improved the battery life (the company says it lasts about two hours longer than before, and can withstand about three times as many charges as before). The new battery, in fact — introduced earlier this year in the 17-inch Pro — is now part of every Pro. It is also sealed inside — no battery swapping allowed. Apple has also finally built an SD memory card slot into the 15-inch models.

– There’s now a 13-inch entry-level Pro, in two configurations: a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive priced at $1,199, and another with a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive priced at $1,499. SD slot included.

–The 17-inch Pro is updated to include a faster 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a larger 500GB hard drive for $2,499, which is also $300 less than before.

–All MacBook Pro systems can be upgraded to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 500GB hard drive or up to a 256GB solid state drive. The 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models can also be upgraded to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

Windows 7 to RTM on July 13, 2009?

According to GeekSmack, Microsoft will announce that Windows 7 has hit the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) milestone on July 13. Unsurprisingly, the July 13 date coincides with the kickoff of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, which is taking place in New Orleans. The date should give the software giant plenty of time to roll out the RTM build via its various business channels.

Last month, Microsoft announced that the day of General Availability (GA) for Windows 7 would be October 22 and that the build would go out to Microsoft partners in the last two weeks of July. It would seem that July 13 is actually a week sooner than expected, assuming that the date holds. One must remember, however, that the day of the announcement is only one of many during the final stretch to GA.

Such a quick RTM is surprising given that Microsoft is typically known for delays. Then again, Windows 7 is not a typical Microsoft release.

Apple asks iPhone devs to test push notifications

In an e-mail sent to iPhone developers Monday, Apple asked them to try out the AP's news app for the iPhone, the first third-party application to incorporate long-awaited "push" notification on the device.

The e-mail asked developers who would like to participate to install the AP News application on an iPhone running iPhone OS 3.0 beta 5. Apple has already said that the OS 3.0 release next month will include an expanded notifications service for third-party applications. Currently, the service only works with the device's core applications: incoming calls, texts, and calendar appointments.

The service was originally set to be introduced by October last year, but Apple missed the deadline. Instead, it was rolled into the wider revamp of the phone's operating system.

The forthcoming Palm Pre smartphone is also set to launch soon. Industry observers have noted that the Pre's sophisticated multitasking could give the iPhone's notification service a serious challenge.

MIcrosoft Windows 7

In my last two columns, I’ve written about two aspects of Windows 7: Upgrading the new Release Candidate and the software’s ability to run Windows XP virtually on some systems.

Now it’s time to get down to what you really want to know: How good is Windows 7 at this point in its development, and should you get it when it finally comes out, probably this fall?

To answer the first question: Yeah, this latest test release is good. Really good. In fact, it’s good enough that, were Microsoft to call this the finished version and release it formally, it would be a much better product than Windows Vista was when it launched in early 2007.

I’ve been using the beta of Windows 7 since early January, and the Release Candidate since it came out on May 5. I’ve installed it on a variety of systems, ranging from an HP netbook to an Alienware gaming notebook to a powerful desktop system I built myself. I’ve also installed it in several virtual machines on an Apple iMac and a MacBook. In all these cases, problems have been minimal or nonexistent, and Windows 7’s performance has been snappy.

Useful refinements

In my review in January of the Windows 7 beta (see www.chron.com/w7betareview), I detailed the primary changes in Windows 7. The RC mostly refines those. There are only a few truly new features in it, such as Windows XP Mode, which I detailed in last week’s column.

But the refinements are useful. For example, the revamped taskbar and desktop in Windows 7 help make sense of clutter if you have a lot of programs open. If your PC supports Aero — the translucent look first introduced in Windows Vista — then moving your cursor to the lower right corner of the screen turns all the open windows into wire frames, so you can see the desktop below them.

In the beta review, I talked about moving your cursor over taskbar buttons to see dynamic thumbnails of running programs, and even multiple tabs in Internet Explorer. But then hover your cursor over a thumbnail, a full-sized version of the window appears on the desktop, and any other windows become wire frames. If you have a lot of programs running on a notebook computer with a small screen, this feature is a godsend.

Microsoft also has refined the feature that makes it much easier to manage other devices connected to your computer. In the beta, this was called Device Stage but has been renamed simply Devices and Printers. It provides more information about mice, keyboards, printers, monitors, scanners and other peripherals. It’s also where you’ll designate a default printer, download drivers for your components and even access your home network’s router. It’s designed to replace the Device Manager, but purists needn’t worry: The Device Manager is still there.

Network access

Microsoft also has added a feature that lets you stream music and movies easily from one Windows 7 PC to another, as well as to other devices that support it. And get this: It will also allow you to connect to your home PC and stream media files over the Net.

It does this in conjunction with another new feature called Homegroups. When you set up a Windows 7 PC, you’re asked to create a Homegroup, which lets you easily designate what to share with others on your home network. If you have a portable that’s part of your Homegroup, you can then take it to, say, your favorite Wi-Fi coffee shop and connect over the Net to your network. The notebook will be recognized as part of the Homegroup, and you’ll have access to your media.

Overall, Windows 7 is much more polished and, frankly, much less annoying than Windows Vista. If you’re a Vista user who’s at all peeved at your operating system, you’ll want to upgrade posthaste when it comes out. If you’re a Windows XP user who’s happy with the status quo, you’ll at least want to investigate Windows 7. If the quality of the final build is indicated by the Release Candidate, Windows 7 is the improvement over Windows XP that Vista should have been.