Apple is tweaking its popular MacBook Air line by introducing two new models at a press conference today. CEO Steve Jobs said in a press release: “We’ve taken what we have learned with the iPad—solid state storage, instant-on, amazing battery standby time, miniaturization and lightweight construction, to create the new MacBook Air. With its amazing responsiveness and mobility, it will change the way we think about notebooks.”
Apple claims the new MacBook Air is the lightest computers the company has created yet. Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, it weighs as little as 2.3 pounds and measures 0.68 inches at its thickest point.
The new MacBook Air has shrunk its flash storage, making it 90 percent smaller and lighter than a conventional notebook hard drive. Also, the 13-inch model’s battery life extends to seven hours rather than five hours on its predecessor.
It includes a 802.11n chip, Intel’s Core 2 Duo CPU and a built-in FaceTime camera, allowing owners to video chat with other FaceTime users (similar to iPhone 4’s FaceTime feature).
Jobs says the new MacBook Air is available today. The 1.4 GHz 11-inch model with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage starts $999 (US); a 128GB model sells for $1,199. The 1.86 GHz 13-inch MacBook Air with 2GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starts at $1,299 with a 256GB model coming in at $1,599.
Even at the top end, the new MacBook Air is $200 less expensive than when it was first introduced.
