Jan 15 2008
Apple announces the MacBook Air. Here are some details you might not know.
Mac rumor sites are going to be icing their shoulders this week from patting themselves on the back for correctly predicting the MacBook Air–the world’s thinnest notebook.
MacBook Air measures 0.16-inches at its thinnest point and 0.76-inches at its maximum height. This is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks. MacBook Air has a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight video camera, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support. 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.
MacBook Air delivers up to five hours of battery life for wireless internet use and includes AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking. An optional Ethernet dongle is also available for an additional USD$29 when you order.
MacBook Air users can buy the MacBook Air SuperDrive, a compact external optical drive, for USD$99. The MacBook Air SuperDrive is powered by MacBook Air’s USB port, eliminating the need to carry a separate power adapter.
A few things you should know about the Air from a “service and support” point of view: it’s probably going to be more like the iPod and the Apple TV when it comes to getting it fixed. Your local Apple dealer or Apple Store will probably not service them, they will have to be sent back to Apple to be fixed or replaced. For instance, the battery is not user replaceable. Once it dies (and they all do), you will need to take the Air in for service.
Apple’s official specification sheet for the MacBook Air follows after the jump.
The new MacBook Air will be shipping in two weeks through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com), 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 1280×800 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(TM) 1.5.
Note:
The Apple iMacs hadn’t been vamped in a very long time and were certainly in need of a revamping, so when today they unveiled 
The new ultra-thin aluminum Apple Keyboard is just 0.33 inches thin at its front edge. A new optional Apple Wireless Keyboard is a compact design that, with Apple’s wireless Mighty Mouse, offers a cable-free desktop. The new Apple Wireless Keyboard will ship by the end of August and will be available as a build-to-order option with the new iMac through the Apple Store for a suggested retail price of USD$30, or USD$50 when purchased along with the wireless Mighty Mouse, and as a standalone purchase for a suggested retail price of USD$79.
VMware, Inc. today announced the availability of