After grinding in the rumor mill for months, Apple finally unveiled a subcompact notebook. And in typical Apple fashion, the new MacBook Air isn’t simply a new, super-small notebook. It showcases new innovations not seen on PC notebooks.

 

 

At its thinnest point, the MacBook Air is .16 inches, while at its widest point, the notebook measures .76 inches. It weighs only three pounds. During the MacBook Air introduction, Steve Jobs presented the MacBook Air inside an interoffice envelope to emphasize the notebook’s diminutive size.

 

 

Inside the MacBook Air is a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor that Intel re-engineered to fit a smaller die. The Core 2 Duo in the MacBook Air is 60 percent smaller than the standard Core 2 Duo used for portables. A 1.8GHz processor is available for an additional $300. The processor has a 800MHz frontside bus, and comes standard with 2GB of RAM that’s soldered on to the motherboard – you can’t add more RAM.

 

 

A 1.8-inch 4,200 rpm 80GB hard drive comes with the standard configuration. Pre-Expo rumors said that the subcompact would have flash-based memory, and a 64GB solid-state drive is available as a $999 built-to-order option.

 

 

Other hardware features include a full backlit keyboard, a 13.3-inch backlit LCD with a 1,280 by 768 native resolution, an Intel GMA X3100 graphics subsystem that shares its RAM with main memory, built-in iSight, 1 USB 2.0 port, a micro DVI port, and a headphone jack. There’s no built-in optical drive; an external USB MacBook Air SuperDrive is available for $99.

 

 

The MacBook Air has a full sized trackpad that has expanded support for gestures. Taking a page out of the iPhone interface, the trackpad lets you perform finger gestures such as zoom, pan, scroll, and more.

 

 

Wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth and 802.11n. Wi-Fi is the only available network connectivity. Apple also introduced Remote Disk, which finds available computers on a Wi-Fi network and lets the MacBook Air use the optical drive on those remote computers for those times you absolutely need an optical drive, such as for software installations.

 

 

Apple says that the integrated battery has a 5 hour life. The MacBook Air comes with a 45-watt power adapter.

 

The MacBook Air starts are $1,799. Apple says units will start shipping in two weeks.

 

 

 

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