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Apple's new MacBook Air dubbed world’s thinnest notebook

Apple on Tuesday closed out its Macworld keynote address by introducing MacBook Air, the world’s thinnest notebook, measuring an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, while its maximum height of 0.76-inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks.

MacBook Air features a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support so users can pinch, rotate and swipe.

MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1.

“We’ve built the world’s thinnest notebook—without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display,” said Apple chief executive Steve Jobs. “When you first see MacBook Air, it’s hard to believe it’s a high-performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display. But it is."

MacBook Air has a vibrant 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display that is energy efficient, and its spacious trackpad offers multi-touch gesture support for pinch, rotate and swipe, making it more intuitive than ever to browse and rotate photos or zoom into web pages in Safari.

MacBook Air also 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.

MacBook Air delivers up to five hours of battery life for wireless productivity and includes AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, which delivers up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g. Apple’s Migration Assistant software now enables users to quickly transfer files, applications and preferences from your old Mac to MacBook Air right over your wireless network.

MacBook Air users can buy the companion MacBook Air SuperDrive, a compact external drive designed for MacBook Air, for just $99. The MacBook Air SuperDrive is powered by MacBook Air’s USB port, eliminating the need to carry a separate power adapter. Many MacBook Air users will not find a need for an optical drive now that they can wirelessly rent movies from the iTunes Store, wirelessly backup files with Time Capsule and access the optical drives on remote PCs or Macs to wirelessly install software applications on MacBook Air, Apple said.

MacBook Air

MacBook Air is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processors running at 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz, and includes as standard 2GB of memory and an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive. An optional 64GB solid state drive contains no moving parts for added durability. Every MacBook Air includes a micro-DVI port so users can connect to Apple’s 20-inch or 23-inch Cinema Displays to extend their desktop or connect to projectors and other displays via DVI, VGA, Composite and S-video adapters. MacBook Air also includes USB 2.0 for plugging in peripherals or charging an iPod or iPhone, a headphone jack and Apple’s acclaimed MagSafe Power Adapter designed especially for mobile users.

MacBook Air

The new MacBook Air ships with iLife '08 and Leopard, and embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress with its aluminum enclosure, a material highly desired by recyclers; Apple’s first mercury-free LCD display with arsenic-free glass; and brominated flame retardant-free material for the majority of circuit boards as well as PVC-free internal cables. In addition, MacBook Air consumes the least amount of power of any Mac, and its retail box, made primarily from 100 percent post-consumer recycled material, is 56 percent smaller by volume than the previously smallest MacBook packaging.

Pricing & Availability

The new MacBook Air will be shipping in two weeks through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), and includes:

  • 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280x800 resolution;
  • 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache;
  • 800 MHz front-side bus;
  • 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM;
  • 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
  • Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
  • Micro-DVI port (includes Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapters);
  • built-in iSight video camera;
  • built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
  • one USB 2.0 port;
  • one headphone port;
  • multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe; and
  • 45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options and accessories include the ability to upgrade to a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 64GB solid state drive, MacBook Air SuperDrive, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple Remote and the AppleCare Protection Plan. Additional build-to-order options also include pre-installed copies of iWork ‘08, Logic Express 8, Final Cut Express 4 and Aperture 1.5.



399 Comments

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aiolos 18 Years · 202 comments

It's pretty sweet with new video port on the side and the external optical drive, and the whole no comprimise with the display, keyboard, and processor, but DAMN is the higher end version expensive! Guess you gotta pay for portability.

Edit: Also that remote disc installation that they show off in the tour on the apple site is mad cool for a business situation: install remote disc on the Mac Pro or whatever (PC works too!), with multiple optical drives, put the main company software install discs there, and if anyone needs to reinstall or whatever, just wirelessly do it. That's very cool.

Also, hope the MB and MBP's get that trackpad soon, that's mad cool.

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ronster 17 Years · 148 comments

wow $1799 that's not cheap...sure looks pretty though.

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jeremy brown 17 Years · 28 comments

Amazing. The Remote Disc is a stoke of genius I reckon; totally obvious now, but not before. Also being able to do it with a PC is great (not that I have ever owed a PC). I wonder how long it will take them to bring the new trackpad to the macbook pro and macbook. Perhaps they will be overhauling them (at least the MBP) sometime this year. Who knows.

Regarding Time Capsule, i guess we now know what happened to wireless backup for time machine.

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tracker 19 Years · 35 comments

Apple stock has dropped.

I purchased @ $170 now it's a little over $166. Figured all the news would have sent it up?

I'm sure over the next few weeks it will be back up to $200 or so.

🎅
wirc 18 Years · 292 comments

They cut some interesting things here. No computer lock? Mono speaker? Analog audio only?

Otherwise, everything seems executed with characteristic boldness. Well done.