Wouldn’t it be nice to be responsible for “redefining the standards of ultra-portable computing”?  Well, MacScoop are reporting – thanks to these omni-present “trusted sources” we hear so much about – that Apple are moving toward announcing an incredibly light, thin laptop with a 12-inch screen that will round out the MacBook Pro range.  And we really are talking thin and light: estimates of just 0.6 – 0.7-inches thick, with a weight coming in under 3lbs.

Trusted though they might be, the sources didn’t (or couldn’t) say whether such a tiny machine would have a built-in optical drive, although MacScoop point to the 6.8mm Panasonic CD/DVD burner announced earlier this year which, at just 99g, certainly wouldn’t add too much bulk. 

Ultra-slim notebooks have long been rumoured as an addition to Apple’s offerings – as well as the prospect of so-called Tablet-Macs likely using the same multi-touch capacitative screen technology as the iPhone.  Considering the potential revenue from expense-account wielding business users (who love to have the lightest, most-toteable machine) Apple would be daft not to be considering the market.

[via SlashGear]