We start out with two hardware deals and an offer to protect your MacBook Air. First up is a number of Mac mini desktops, beginning with a 2.4 GHz unit for just $599. Next is several MacBook Pros, starting at $899 for a 2.4GHz unit with a 13.3-inch screen. Finally, there is a MacBook Air sleeve from Belkin for just $13.

Along the way, we also check out a Bluetooth keyboard case for your iPhone 4, a micro SIM card for your iPad or iPhone and “Brush Pilot 2” for the Mac. As always, details on these items and many more can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.

Apple teased the latest features in the upcoming OS X Lion operating system at WWDC early this month, but when it comes to a release date, the company has left us hanging. Now a new report claims that Lion will launch on July 19th… and will drag new MacBook Airs out to customers immeditely in its wake.

“Dude, your laptop case is, like, totally sick, brah!”

I looked up. It was my waiter, every inch of him a bro. He looked like the kind of guy whose cocktail of choice was a pounder of vodka and Mountain Dew, who spelled extreme with triple x-es, who never met a problem he couldn’t jump a skateboard over. He wore an Offspring t-shirt and a wallet on a chain covered in stickers. His goatee looked like a mullet growing out of his face.

I looked down. The “sick” case in question was the BookBook Case by TwelveSouth ($80) — a case which was designed to make my 11-inch MacBook Air look like some dusty vellum tome plucked from an ancient library.

We come to the last week of June with three hardware deals: two max-out iMacs and a number of MacBook Air laptops. First up is an iMac desktop sporting an Intel Core i7 quad 2.93GHz engine. The iMac with a 27-inch screen is also bundled with a 2TB hard disk drive for just $1,828. Next is an iMac with an Intel Core i3 dual 3.2GHz processor. The iMac with a 27-inch screen is bundled with 8GB of RAM and a 3-year AppleCare plan – all for just $1,519. Finally, if you’re looking for a more light-weight mobile option, check out a number of MacBook Air units, starting with a 1.4GHz model with 64GB SSD and 2GB of RAM for just $829.

Along the way, we also check out a number of other Apple-related items, including a bike mount for your iPhone, a 72 percent discount on select tablet accessories, and other gadgets for your iPhone, iPad or Mac. As always, details on these and many others can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page starting right after the jump.

BestBuy.com — a major Apple reseller — has now stopped shipping the current-generation of Apple’s ultraportable notebook as an upcoming refresh becomes ever more apparent.

Components makers in the supply chain for Apple’s MacBook Air are set to “run in full gear” during July as the company prepares for the upcoming launch of the latest model.

While yesterday’s reports of a black MacBook Air left many mouths watering, the device could remain all but a dream for the foreseeable future, after one anonymous Apple employee has confirmed that the company has tried, but failed, to create a black model of its ultraportable notebook.

Although Apple still sells a white model, the piano black plastic MacBook is much missed. It might be Back to Black time for the MacBook line, though, as several anonymous sources are now reporting that the Thunderbolt and Sandy Bridge equipped MacBook Air could get a black anodized aluminum finish when it lands in July.

Wondering just where in the hell those Sandy Bridge MacBook Airs with Thunderbolt are? Sitting in a warehouse, just waiting for OS X Lion to go gold, according to the most recent report.

Here’s a bit of sweet timing. Just as the PC Era collapses and everyone moves to the cloud, what is Apple selling? Why, the MacBook Air, a light mobile device that seems perfect for the iCloud generation. Oh, yeah, it’s also a “quasi-tablet.” No wonder analysts predict Apple will make billions off the device.