It truly is, as Apple calls it, a “thinnovation”.
At the Macworld Expo on January 15th, Apple CEO Steve Jobs stood on stage during his keynote speech and pulled it out of a manila envelope: the MacBook Air the newest product in the Apple line of laptops and desktops. It’s so thin; it practically disappears when you look at it sideways. At its thickest, the new MacBook Air is just 0.16 inches at its thinnest, and, at most, still only 0.76 inches at its thickest, making it the world’s thinnest laptop computer.
Tech Specs
Similar to the current MacBook, according to Apple’s website, the new MacBook Air comes with an 80GB hard drive, and a 13.3 inch screen. As well, it comes with both a CD and DVD burner standard, in which the entry-level MacBook comes only with a CD burner. It also comes with a 2GB memory, double that of the MacBook.
Not only is the new MacBook Air the thinnest product in Apple’s line of notebooks, but also the lightest. Weighing in at only three pounds, it truly is an incredible machine. Another feature that the computer includes is that it also comes with an oversized touchpad which allows you to zoom and adjust images similar to how you would on the iPhone and iPod touch. As well, it comes with a smart, back-lit keyboard to make it easier to see the keys if in a dimly lit area.
The new MacBook Air starts at $1,799 for an entry-level version and ranges to over $3,000 with upgrades.
Other Macworld Introductions
There were also several other new products and existing product improvements mentioned during Jobs’ speech. He introduced the new product, the Time Capsule, which is a wireless hard drive allowing multiple computers to backup their files on a single device. It also acts as a Wi-Fi base station. The device costs $499 for 1TB.
Also introduced were new features to the iPhone and iPod Touch. They now are able to display maps with location, users can create their own web clips, and they are able to customize their own home screen among other new features. The iPhone retails for $399 for the 8GB model.
Lastly, Jobs also introduced a new movie rental program through iTunes. Users are able to download movie rentals, $3.99 for new releases, $2.99 for older films, and watch them whenever they want within 30 days of downloading. On the downside, once the movie is started, they only have 24 hours to finish it.
