Report: Ultraportable Apple notebook for Macworld?

The long-rumored mini notebook from Apple could be making its debut relatively soon, the AppleInsider blog is reporting.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," AppleInsider says the latest notebook form factor from Apple will be introduced at January's Macworld Expo, held every year in San Francisco. Over the past year, several clues have pointed to Apple developing an ultraportable to round out its notebook lineup.

The report says the computer will have a 13-inch LCD screen, which will be lit by LEDs (light-emitting diodes) like the current MacBooks, and weigh 50 percent less than the current model 15-inch MacBook Pro. AppleInsider also says the ultraportable will use flash memory instead of a traditional mechanical hard drive. What it won't have, is equally notable: apparently Apple nixed an optical disc drive to maintain an ultraslim design.