Apple `chip' laptop in works

Apple, maker of the iPod music players and Macintosh personal computers, may introduce a new notebook this year that will save data on flash memory chips instead of a hard drive, American Technology Research said.
"Our sources indicate that Apple would like to introduce the product in the second half to further capitalize on its strong MacBook growth," Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research, wrote in a report Wednesday.
Chips are smaller than hard drives, allowing electronics makers to design slimmer products. They also process data faster and consume less energy than hard drives.