KEY POINTS:
Apple has rolled out what some said couldn't be done - an ultra-slim laptop packing a full complement of powerhouse goodies.
At a shade over 4mm at its thinnest point, with a maximum height of just 19mm, the aluminium-cased Air is significantly slimmer than other notebooks competing in the same market segment.
Apple boss Steve Jobs announced the new machine at the MacWorld conference in San Francisco.
It features a 13.3-inch backlit widescreen LED screen, a full-size backlit keyboard and a trackpad with multi-touch gesture support similar to the iPhone's 'pinch, rotate and swipe' controls. There's even an onboard iSight camera for video conferencing.
The US price will be $1799 (NZ$2305). while New Zealand pricing will start at $2999 including GST.
There are two processor options - either a 1.6 or a 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with a 4MB Level 2 cache - all running through an 800MHz front-side bus. There 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 onboard RAM standard, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1.
Standard storage is a 1.8-inch, 80GB hard drive, with an optional 64GB solid state drive with no moving parts for extra durability.
"We've built the world's thinnest notebook-without sacrificing a full-size keyboard or a full-size 13-inch display," said Jobs told the audience at his MacWorld keynote address.
"When you first see MacBook Air, it's hard to believe it's a high-performance notebook with a full-size keyboard and display. But it is."
Optimal visibility is always maintained with the addition of an ambient light sensor, which automatically adjusts the brightness of the keys and display. The LED display is Apple's first mercury-free display.
Apple claims that the battery will give up to five hours of juice for wireless productivity.
On board ports include micro-DVI port, VGA, Composite and S-video adapters for media applications.
An optional USB-powered MacBook Air SuperDrive is being priced here at $159.