Apple announces ultra-thin laptop

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44358000/jpg/_44358182_jobs_ap203.jpg
The laptop weighs 1.3 kilograms and costs £1,200
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/icons/video_text.gifLaptop on view (http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7190000/newsid_7190500?redirect=7190503.stm&news=1&bbwm=1&nbwm=1&bbram=1&nbram=1&asb=1)

Apple boss Steve Jobs has unveiled the world's thinnest laptop, called the MacBook Air. The computer, which is 0.76 inches (1.93cm) at its thickest point, was unveiled at an event in San Francisco.

The Apple head also launched online film rentals for iTunes users in the US from almost every major film studio, including Disney and Fox.

"We're dying to get this international as well," said Mr Jobs, saying it would roll-out worldwide later in the year.

Of the laptop, Mr Jobs said: "It's an amazing feat of engineering."

It does not have a CD or DVD drive in order to save space. "It was built to be a wireless machine," he added.

The laptop will compete with a range of portable devices, from companies such as Sony, Dell and Asus, which are already building so-called sub-notebooks, designed to be lighter and more mobile.

The machine goes on sale in two weeks and costs from $1,799 in the US (£1,199 in the UK) and comes with either an 80 Gigabyte hard disc drive as standard or 64 Gigabyte solid state drive for an added $999.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif FROM THE DOT.LIFE BLOG
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44334000/jpg/_44334988_rory_6666pr.jpg
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif This is important because it opens a new front in Apple's battle to be as big in digital video as it is in music. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif


Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC technology correspondent

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Read Rory's thoughts in full (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/01/did_steve_jobs_deliver.html)



Apple worked with chip maker Intel to produce a smaller version of its Core2Duo processor for the laptop.

Movie rentals from the key Hollywood movie studios will be available in the US immediately. Until now customers have had to buy movies outright but now they rent them for up to 30 days, or for 24 hours once viewing has started.

Movie lovers will be able to download films to their computers, and transfer them to the latest iPods and iPhone, in standard and high-definition, for between $3 and $5.

The company also announced it was revamping the Apple TV device so that it can now download content independently of a computer and display it on a widescreen TV.

Mr Jobs admitted that Apple's first attempt to put online video in the living room had failed.

"[Apple TV] was designed to be an accessory for iTunes and your computer.

"It is not what people wanted. What people really wanted was movies, movies, movies."

He added: "We weren't delivering that. We're back: With Apple TV Take Two."

He announced the firm had sold 125 million TV shows and seven million movies via iTunes.

"It's more than everyone else put together, but it didn't meet our expectations," said Mr Jobs. "I think we've got it right this time."

Mr Jobs also announced a wireless back-up system called Time Capsule, offering a combined wi-fi router and hard drive.

New software for the iPhone was unveiled, including an update to Maps, which can plot the phone owners spot on a map without using GPS.

Apple announced it had sold four million iPhones in the first 200 days on sale, putting it on target to sell 10 million by the end of 2008.




http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7188849.stm




This looks amazing... 0.76 inches!!!

I just wonder how practical something without any disc drives could be and you only have 64 gb of storage. It seems awesome, but you need to carry around a portable harddrive, you can't swap the batteries from what I can tell so you generally have to plug in a ton, etc. etc. and you end up carrying a bag weighing more than a normal laptop.

I just wonder how practical something without any disc drives could be and you only have 64 gb of storage. It seems awesome, but you need to carry around a portable harddrive, you can't swap the batteries from what I can tell so you generally have to plug in a ton, etc. etc. and you end up carrying a bag weighing more than a normal laptop.

It doesn't seem to be perfect, but with Flash drives and the need for something small to use for work or school, it will probably sell tons.

It's perfect for email, internet, word processing, etc. The stuff that is really 99% of what most will use it for.

I have and old Sony z505 that I still use for those purposes, because its size is preferable to power at the cost of weight.

I'd miss the DVD drive as well, but I suppose with flash media and I assume an assumption that you're using iTunes for movies, you can get by without one. USB opens up a lot of possibilities, assuming it's loaded with USB ports.

Pricey though, considering you'd need plenty of peripherals even if the system is designed to be wireless. You still have to get data onto the hard drive somehow.

Perfect for taking to class and jotting down notes on, thats a nifty little toy theyve made up there. And I'm a pc kind of person :)

There is a PC version of this....

http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/25/1324200

Looks like Korea is the only place you can currently get one, though....

but its MAC, its like scientology, it appeals to the rich, and few actually understand it.

For a laptop so small and light weight that guy sure seems to be straining to hold it up.

For a laptop so small and light weight that guy sure seems to be straining to hold it up.

Nah, he always looks like that last cheese omelet has him bound up, a bit.

Lol

This looks amazing... 0.76 inches!!!


It's not the size that counts, it's how you use it!

*cough*

I'm hoping we'll see a 32gb iPod touch this summer. Flash memory prices dropping is good for all.

The 32GB iPod Touch came out: http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/