Maybe because of 4th of July, maybe just out of generosity, or maybe because of the 3G iPhone release, Apple decided to make a delightful surprise to its customers by making an overnight cut of $500 for its most expensive laptop.

AppleInsider noticed that the ultrathin 64GB Solid State Drive MacBook Air now costs $2,598 instead of the $3098 price tag available last week. It’s all been done very quietly, as a result of price cuts in two components, the 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo upgrade, now $100 less, and the Flash memory-based 64GB SSD upgrade, $400 less. However, the price tag didn’t change for the classic hard-disk drive MacBook Air, which continues to cost $1,799.

But there could be other reason behind the new price as well: the MacBook Air was not only expensive, but the price cut also reflects an increased competition on the notebook market, as well as a not so great performance in terms of sales.

MacBook Air features a full-size keyboard design in a sleek and durable aluminum enclosure. The backlit keyboard makes it ideal for dimly lit environments such as airplanes, studios or conference halls, and a built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the keys as well as the display brightness for optimal visibility.

Apple delivered the world’s thinnest notebook, and added a price to match that performance. We can’t really say about the MacBook Air that it’s the ideal notebook. It has potential, but the basic configuration was pretty disappointing for many, which may justify slashing the price of the more expensive version just 6 months after its debut.

As much as Apple tried to make a sensation out of its MacBook Air, it turned out that the less you pay, the less satisfied the customer is, and the $3,000 version that everyone wanted was a bit much.

Anyway, some customers will be happy to know that their orders have also been affected by the price cuts, and as MacRumors noted, Apple has automatically adjusted their order to the new price tag.