Apple keynote at-a-glance

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By Stuart Turton and Barry Collins

Posted on 15 Jan 2008 at 14:31

The world's thinnest laptop, a new version of Apple TV and a sprinkling of new iPhone features were the highlights of tonight's Macworld keynote.

Steve Jobs didn't disappoint as he announced the delectably slimline MacBook Air, a laptop so thin that it can slide into an internal office envelope. Despite the pre-show rumours, the laptop isn't entirely wireless - but with just a single USB port and software for connecting to the optical drive on networked PCs or Macs, it's hardly going to be draped in wires.

See how the new MacBook Air compares to the Sony VAIO G11 here

Other notable newcomers included a new version of the Apple TV software, which means the device no longer needs to be connected to a PC. There was also the expected launch of iTunes movie rentals and a selection of new features for the iPhone.

You can see how the major announcements unravelled with our at-a-glance summary below:

• Fourth announcement: Knock us down with a feather, it's the MacBook Air. Apparently, it's the world's thinnest laptop. Weighs three pounds (around 1.4kg), measures 0.16in-0.76in (thinnest to thickest part), 13.3 in widescreen display. That's ludicrously thin (click photo for enlarged image).

  Multi-touch trackpad, but no touchscreen. 80GB hard disk, 1.6 or 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo - Intel apparently had to shrink processor size by 60%.

  Specs include a single USB port - so bang goes that no wires report - 802.11n wireless and Bluetooth. No optical drive - external drive available for $99, or new software will let you "borrow" a Mac or PC's optical drive over the network. Drive borrowing software pre-installed on MacBook Air and disc supplied for donor computers.

  2GB of RAM. Claimed battery life of five hours - and Apple don't tend to tell too many porkies on these figures.

  MacBook Air will cost $1,799 - and pre-orders will start in a fortnight. UK availability? You can pre-order now on the Apple UK store but it gives no hint as to when your lovely laptop might arrive, as yet.

• New version of Apple TV software can be downloaded for free, and while Steve's feeling uncharacteristically generous, he's dropping the price of the entry-level Apple TV from $299 to $229.
• New version of Apple TV. No computer needed. Will allow you to rent movies over iTunes, and play Podcasts and view photos from Flickr. HD quality with Dolby 5.1 support; 100 HD movies available to rent at launch for $4.99 a pop.
• Third announcement: Jobs announces iTunes movie rentals, as expected. Every major studio on board. Admits movie sales were below par. Over 1,000 movies on offer; watch instantly - 30 seconds to start sreaming over broadband; $2.99 for older titles, $3.99 for latest films. US gets rentals immediately, "international will launch later this year" (surprise, surprise).
• iPod touch to get new apps. Mail, Stock, Notes and Weather. And all for the, ahem, bargain price of $20....
• Second announcement: New iPhone features - find your current location on maps, web clipping, customisable home screen, send SMS to multiple contacts (try not to get too excited about the last one).
• First announcement: New product - Time Capsule. It's Airport Extreme with a 500GB or 1TB hard drive. Essentially a NAS drive for the Mac.