During today's 'Back to the Mac' special event Apple unveiled two brand new models of MacBook Air. The original 13.3-inch MacBook Air has been redesigned with an even thinner enclosure and is now accompanied by a smaller 11.6-inch brother.
Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models and weighing as little as 2.3 pounds (1.32 kg), the new MacBook Air is Apple’s lightest and most portable notebook ever. MacBook Air uses the same solid state storage technology as iPad to deliver instant-on responsiveness, up to seven hours of battery life and up to 30 days of standby time. Starting at $999, the affordable MacBook Air defines the next generation of MacBooks.
“MacBook Air is the first of a new generation of notebooks that leaves behind mechanical rotating storage in favor of solid state flash storage,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “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.”
Pricing for the MacBook Air begins at $999 (£849) for the 11.6-inch model with 64GB of storage and a 1.4GHz processor climbing up to $1,599 (£1349) for the 13.3-inch model which includes 256GB of storage and features a 1.86GHz processor.
Due to the MacBook Airs lack of optical drive Apple now includes a very small USB stick that includes the original installation software.