Just a few hours ago, Apple announced a much-rumored new product – the MacBook Air. If you have not already seen the news, the Air is basically a 13.3″ MacBook Pro that is really thin. I hate to give Apple any more hype since they are already so good at making hype, but this thing really is thin. I am sure you are wondering why I am writing about an Apple product on a Linux site. Well, since both the Air and the Eee are considered ultra-portables, they potentially have an effect on one another, so I decided to figure out (or at least guess at) what that effect will be and whether it will benefit or hurt the Eee PC.

The most obvious way the Air could effect the Eee PC is competition. Logically, since both are ultra-mobile PCs, they would compete with each other, right? Not really. The Air is almost $2000 and comes with high-end components compared to the Eee’s minimal resources and $400 price point. Additionally, the Air has a 13.3″ screen compared to the Eee’s 7″ screen. Even once the Eee comes out with larger screen models, they will still be far, far smaller than the Air. Both of these factors make it very hard for the two products to compete.

Even if these two products do not directly compete, they could still generate hype for each other. For example, someone who sees an article about the Air might become interested in a small laptop and look for something less expensive, leading them to potentially buy an Eee PC. In that example, Apple’s amazing marketing ability (you really can’t argue about Apple being great at building hype) is benefiting the Eee PC, but the other question is could the reverse happen? I don’t think so. Someone looking at a very inexpensive tiny laptop, the Eee PC, is not likely to become interested in a higher-cost alternative.

While many Linux users may be frustrated when the Air dominates all the technology news for the next week, it is worth considering that the Air will probley generate many additional sales for the Eee, already Asus’s most successful product.