Apple has unveiled the MacBook Air, claiming it to be the world’s thinnest notebook, measuring 0.4 centimetres at its thinnest point and 1.9 centimetres at its thickest.
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 multi-touch trackpad that allows the user to pinch, rotate and swipe.
“We’ve built the world’s thinnest notebook—without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display,” says Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.
Powered by a 1.6 or 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, features include 2GB of memory, USB 2.0, 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1.
MacBook Air also comes with a micro-DVI port so users can connect to Apple’s 20- or 23-inch displays or other devices via DVI, VGA, Composite and S-video adapters.
A compact external drive is available at A$139, however, you can basically do the same with the newly released Time Capsule, which automatically and wirelessly backs up everything and comes with an 802.11n wireless modem. It’s available in either 500GB (A$429) or 1 terabyte (A$699).
“Bring Time Capsule home, plug it in, click a few buttons on your Macs and voila—all the Macs in your house are being backed up automatically, every hour of every day,” says Jobs.
Described as Apple’s most energy-efficient Mac to date, the notebook features an aluminium enclosure, 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, its packaging is made primarily from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled material.
The MacBook Air, which operates on the Leopard system, can be used for up to five hours and is expected to be available in February for a recommended retail price of A$2499.