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The website claims that a reliable source told them that Apple is 'having trouble playing catch up with the learning curve for designing using the Intel platform' and as a result has been 'scrambling' to hire engineers with experience of developing light notebooks, of which the Sony Vaios are a prime example. A Japanese headhunting firm is said to have been contracted to find potential recruits.

If true, the report harks back to the first-ever PowerBook which was manufactured - and some say designed - for Apple by Sony.

Apple declined to comment.