It's got a spring-loaded latching mechanism, removable leather shoulder strap, and a padded "alcantara" exterior. It keeps its Air-matching shape by having all your accessories (read: power brick) in a removable external pocket, which is a little clunky but not too bad. It's made entirely by hand, machined from a single block of aluminum, and it's in premium hand-stretched leather (with exotic skins available on special order.)

I, for one, think it's not a bad-looking way to carry your Air around, and was worth the wait to see it make it to reality. But, of course, there's just one tiny sticking point: its price. Starting at $529, it costs nearly 30% of the entry-level Air. Ouch. [Orbino]

[Agent18]

There's a Mundorf Air motion transformer tweeter, a pair of ScanSpeak midranges, and a Visaton bass driver. I think they're going to be quite expensive, don't you? Oh, and FYI, Olon means all-encompassing in Ancient Greek. And, cue Olon Nothing jokes. [Mythos Audio via audiojunkies]

The big steps Adobe is going to take to make this work are:

- Removing restrictions on use of the SWF and FLV/F4V specifications
- Publishing the device porting layer APIs for Adobe Flash Player
- Publishing the Adobe Flash® Cast™ protocol and the AMF protocol for robust data services
- Removing licensing fees - making next major releases of Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR for devices free

Adobe's also throwing in the AIR platform as well, which is "the next-generation RIA runtime for the desktop, supporting HTML, Ajax, Adobe Flash technology and PDF." [Adobe]

OK, so maybe it only looks cool if a) you just woke up from a 1977s cocaine-induced coma after a night in Studio 54, b) you can't resist the allure of the rainbow Apple and wear gold underpants, c) you were Snoop Dogg's stylist in Sensual Seduction or d) all of the above. Either way, I wonder how many pounds all that gold adds to the Air, and how many dollars it would subtract from my wallet.

Update: We talked with Alex Wiley from Computer Choppers, who gave us all the answers: "The weight hasn't noticeably changed since its plating. The jewelry may add an ounce or two, if that." According to Alex, the Air is a standard 1.6ghz/2gb/80GB, with a 24-karat gold plating, polished exterior, and flat/crystallite interior. The price: $5000 USD (including the new MBA). "Diamonds and jewelry depend on what the customer asks for," Alex points out, "the rainbow is 14-karat gold with 3.8ctw sapphires and adds another $3000 USD." The coolest thing: "You should see it light up when the screen turns on." [Computer Choppers]

So, it works. Kind of. Seven failed attempts, largely punctured by the Air's surprisingly sharp edges (plus occasional clumsiness with fingertips during stretching), one successful try achieving a maximum coverage of 30% of the laptop. That's from a standard European condom, mind you. You may still want to experiment at home with some Magnums.

And now we really need a Boa case to wipe all that icky lubricant from the Air's outsides: Its synthetic micro-knitted fibers will wipe the aluminum clean of fingerprints and dust (hopefully lube, too) as you slide it in and out. See guys? We suffer for you, we really do. Anyway, the Boa Fashion Sleeve is available now for $30 each, in a choice of 21 spring-theme colors with more colors available in the summer. [Boa]

The culprit? Its solid state drive. Which means any notebook with a SSD could've gotten your ass busted by the Feds. Helpfully, they've since distributed photos of what SSD notebooks look like to security personnel, reducing your chances of a friendly cavity search. [TSA Blog via TUAW]

But maybe we're just grumpy. Does anyone think this actually looks good? [MAKE]

In its past life, the antenna launcher was instead used to project tennis balls at annoying children / fluffy pets tennis players, but it can now be used to project an aerial up and over a tree, or a similarly lofty position, by wrapping the wire around the tennis ball and taking aim. Finally, you can now tune into your favorite Martian radio station with no fuss, just as long as your aim is a bit better than that guy who follows you around in life, using the urinal before you. [Pneumatic Antenna Launching Systems viaMake]

When using the PCMark05 bench, the X300 took the lead once again at 3,467 points, beating the Air, which had 2,478 points. Part of the reason why the Air did worse in the PCMark05 test, which scores based on all the system's components such as the "processor, hard drive, memory and OS." Their Lenovo contained a solid state drive, but their MacBook Air did not, which makes us wonder if the gap would be closer if they re-did the test with a SSD-enabled version. [Notebook Review]

Here are the main points of the Lenovo X300, compared to the MacBook Air, according to Señor Don Walt Mossberg:

• Is thicker than MacBook Air. Winner: MacBook Air.
• Is heavier than MacBook Air. Winner: MacBook Air.
• Has less battery life in both tests and normal use (so much for SSD.) Winner: MacBook Air.
• Has way more ports. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has built-in DVD possibility. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has SSD drive built-in. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has WiMax connectivity. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has USB Wireless. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has GPS location-finding. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has higher screen resolution. Winner: Lenovo X300.
• Has a screen that stands up higher, leaving less viewing angle while travelling on plane. Winner: MacBook Air.
• Has slower processor. Winner: MacBook Air.
• Doesn't use Mac OS X Leopard. Winner: MacBook Air.
• Is more expensive at $2,476 with half battery and without DVD. It has SSD, but it doesn't add any advantage. More popular configuration is $3,000 with full battery and DVD drive. MacBook Air base model is $1,799. Winner: MacBook Air.

That's seven wins each. Does this mean there's no winner? It may look like technical tie, but my feeling is that he prefers the MacBook Air. At the end, it's all about the software and Walter Mossberg preference for Leopard (which could be debatable, even while I agree with him) plus the price, physical specs and battery life, makes the MacBook Air come ahead.

Still, it seems that both computers are right and wrong. At the end, it all depends on your personal taste, priorities and pet peeves. Or as Caesar Mossberg politely puts it: if you have the money and "you're happy with Windows," the Lenovo X300 is a "notable engineering accomplishment." [All Things D]

MacBook Air Now Shipping

Apple TV Update Coming Soon

CUPERTINO, California—January 30, 2008—Apple® today announced that MacBook Air™, the world's thinnest notebook, is now shipping. MacBook Air measures an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, while its maximum height of 0.76-inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks. Apple also announced that the new Apple TV® software update, which allows users to rent high definition movies directly from their widescreen TVs, is not quite finished. Apple now plans to make the free software download available to existing Apple TV customers in another week or two.

MacBook Air has a stunning 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight® video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support so users can pinch, rotate and swipe. MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1.

Apple TV's software update will allow movie fans to rent movies on the iTunes® Store directly from their widescreen TV. With iTunes Movie Rentals and Apple TV, users can just click a button on their remote to effortlessly rent movies from a catalog of over 1,000 titles by the end of February, including over 100 titles in stunning high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, with no computer required. DVD-quality iTunes Movie Rentals are $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, and high definition versions are just one dollar more with library titles at $3.99 and new releases at $4.99. Purchases downloaded to Apple TV are automatically synced back to iTunes on the user's computer for enjoyment on their computer, all current generation iPods* or iPhone™. Apple TV easily connects to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports.

Pricing & Availability
The new MacBook Air is now shipping and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), and includes:
• 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280x800 resolution;
• 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache;
• 800 MHz front-side bus;
• 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM;
• 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
• Micro-DVI port (includes Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapters);
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• one USB 2.0 port;
• one headphone port;
• multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe; and
• 45 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options and accessories for MacBook Air include the ability to upgrade to a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 64GB solid state drive, MacBook Air SuperDrive®, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple Remote and the AppleCare Protection Plan. Additional build-to-order options also include pre-installed copies of iWork™ '08, Logic® Express 8, Final Cut® Express 4 and Aperture™ 1.5.

The new Apple TV software will be available as a free automatic download to all Apple TV customers within two weeks. Apple TV, which includes the Apple Remote, is available from the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $229 (US) for the 40GB model and $329 (US) for the 160GB model (US and Canada). Apple TV requires an 802.11g/n wireless network or 10/100 Base-T Ethernet networking, a broadband Internet connection and a high definition widescreen TV. iPod® games will not play on Apple TV. iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only.

*Movie rentals work on iPod classic, iPod nano with video and iPod touch.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

The researchers will ideally find a means to reconstruct the environment immediately before an asthma attack. So far tested by six volunteers, it may be extended to trials in children. Hopefully, one of the triggers of an asthma attack doesn't prove to be "wearing a 1-lb. sensor array around your neck." [New Scientist]

As soon as we got our MacBook Air, we couldn't help but want to tear it down to its innards. We wanted to see what made up this beautiful machine, so we grabbed our #00 phillips screwdriver and had at it. Want to know what we found? The sexiest and simplest notebook has the sexiest and simplest construction (you'll be surprised at how easy the battery comes out). Not only was this thin thing amazingly easy to disassemble, it was even gorgeous on the inside. Here are the details and, more importantly, pictures.

Aside from the innards being well designed, the disassembly of the MacBook Air was surprisingly easy. Hands-down the easiest Apple notebook we have ever taken apart. There's basically only one step to get inside the machine, just unscrew the bottom casing.

The bottom casing has 10 screws, all #00 Phillips, but there are 3 different screw lengths, so remembering where each screw belongs is crucial. Once all the screws were out, we expected to hassle with Apple's typical tabbed locking system, like the iPod and iBook. But to our surprise there were no tricky tabs to unhook, just lift up the back of the casing and it's off. There were very small metal tabs at the front of the casing, but they were easily and unknowingly undone by just raising the back first and pulling up.

Once the casing was off, we set our sights on the battery. Since the battery takes up almost 3/4 of the inside, it was hard to miss. Nine screws hold the battery in, which are again #00 phillips. Once the battery screws were out, we disconnected the battery cable, which again was surprisingly easy, just using our fingers.

So, getting inside the MacBook Air and taking out the battery was very easy. Easy enough to allow most users to do a battery replacement on their own. We must state that replacing the Macbook Air's battery is far more complicated than say a MacBook or MacBook Pro. But considering that the MacBook Air's battery is actually enclosed in the machine and Apple charges for the replacement service, it is nice to know if needed to, it can be replaced by the user.

Other Thoughts
•The screws that hold the bottom casing, go in at a slight angle. Since the sides of the MacBook Air are curved, the screws have to go in a certain angle to sit level in the holes. This could be a pain when screwing back in, since the little screws have to be at an exact angle.
•On the inside of the bottom casing, there is a convenient two image reassembling instructions.
•Hard drive appears to be easy to replace.
•Ram appears to be soldered on, not so easy to replace.
•The inside construction seems very solid.
•As with all Apple books, taking out screws and opening up the casing voids warranty, so we would imagine the same goes for the Macbook Air.

I'm still on the fence as to what defines portability. The air pitches it as thinness and weight, and does so well. But the 12-inch powerbook and the Sony Vaio TZ feel smaller. They might have smaller keyboards and screens, but as for throwing them into a man purse or small bag, the units with smaller screens seems a lot easier to tote. But moving from room to room with it, carrying the Air with one hand, it's clear that this is the sturdiest and easiest inner-house haul.

Obviously, they allowed it because this particular model of VAIO is thick enough to make the MacBook Air look as thin as paper. The event was celebrated by Apple Japan on the 19th. Akiko, who is a PC notebook user, have shared her particular perspective on the MacBook Air:

Jesus Díaz: What do you think about the MacBook Air, from a point of view of someone used to thin and tiny PC laptops?
Akiko Wada: Wonderful! To tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical before the event. "Thin" is very important for a laptop and many Japanese people are looking for the smallest and thinnest and lightest laptop all the time.

But at the same time, the toughness is important for me. I thought: "The MacBook Air is thin, but may be not tough."

I was wrong. At the event, I felt the MacBook Air is tough enough.

Now I use three computers, Sony VAIO Type R master, MacBook, and Pansonic Let's Note R3. The Let's Note Series is a very popular mobile laptop in Japan.

I am a Windows user and I love my [Panasonic] Let's Note, but I have to say that I love the MacBook Air. It completely charmed me.

JD: So what do you think will be the reaction to this in Japan, a country obsessed with light and thin in consumer electronics?
AW: My guess is that many Japanese people will switch to Mac this year. Before, the Mac's laptops didn't appear in the popularity ranking. But now... I am very surprised. I think that many Japanese will accept it just the same as iPod (once I heard some young Japanese girls talking about a Sony Walkman. They said: "Wao! It's a Sony iPod!" Now, the iPod is something like General noun in Japan.)

The original video is no longer available at the request of Apple Japan to Ms. Awada. A new video has been published:

Head to her site to learn more about it and watch the video in high resolution. [WADA-blog — Thanks Akiko!]

Mike Abary, senior vice president of VAIO product marketing, thought the engineering to get a laptop that thin was extremely impressive. But Sony had a similiar vision for an ultraportable once, a carbon fiber notebook in 2004 called the X505 (above) that eschewed the optical and was 0.3 inches thick (compared to 0.16 of the Air) at its thinnest segment. It wasn't that well received, and research later pointed out that "Thinness is not the holy grail". Making something that thin and sexy cost it too much usability. (Many of you agree in the comments on Giz.)

To be fair, dropping an optical in 2004 made no sense, but it makes more sense in 2008, especially with broader internet connections, bittorrent, greater storage capacity, thumbdrives, and Apple's Remote optical drive tech which works over wireless N. But since the X505, ultra portables from Sony have evolved into the TZ, complete with LED backlight, a small but usable keyboard, plenty of ports and built in 3G data. So it is possible that Sony believes they are in many ways 4 years ahead of Apple in their understanding of what consumers want.

When the NYTimes pushed Jobs on the issues of limited storage, he responded, "Maybe this isn't the computer for you." I asked Mike who they thought the computer was for. "Beats me" was the initial reply, but came up with an answer: The extremely design conscious. I asked what feature he'd bring back to the Air, and without hesitating, he thought it should have for 3G.

I wish I could dismiss all of this as competitive trash talk, but too many of you feel the same conflicting feelings about where the Air fits into your collection of machines. At Giz, we're only tormented inside because we still want to buy it, despite it being not all that practical.

"We've built the world's thinnest notebook—it's pretty," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO and famed giant carrots horticulturist. "But it didn't feel... complete. So I said to Phil, hey! Phil, yo! I think we need a motherflippin' case for this motherflippin' computer. And Phil saw that it was good, so he pulled out an empty box of Oreos and said: 'what about this?'"

Phil Schiller, senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing and really nice cuddly guy, explained the arduous engineering behind the product: "Steve thought the Oreos box was okay, but wasn't good enough," he said. "So then he looked at this envelope on my table, with my lunch inside and he said: 'Is that a Reuben sandwich? Boy I miss those.' And that was it: Manila Case. Right there."

The Manila Case ultra-thin surface allows for an extremely light weight, the smallest in its class, and can be easily customized using any kind of materials, from stickers to Crayola. Prices start at $300 for the base model.

Build-to-order options and accessories include the ability to upgrade the regular white string to a Red Kabbalah String, a 2B Apple Pencil and Woz's One Big Honky Eraser for easy note-taking on the Manila Case surface, a drawing of a landscape by Rob, the guy from supplies, and a aircraft-grade aluminum clip.

* Standard size at Carnegie Deli, 854 7th Ave. New York, NY 10019. Other Reuben sandwiches, with or without IEEE 802.11n support or additional mustard, may vary.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. In the middle, a lot of LSD, tofu and grass were consumed. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, the OS X operating system, iLife, professional applications and a guy called Rob. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone. And Rob too.

[Yes, in case nobody has got this one, it's fake. File it under "Comedy" or "Too many drinks." Image by Richard Blakeley]

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The iSight webcam is a round hole instead of a square, the lid has a convex design, and slowly goes to a point on the sides. The MagSafe charger is slightly smaller, and it's silver. The MagSafe connector is also new, and connects at a 90-degree angle instead of just pulling out like the current ones. We've got photos vs. the Sony Vaio Steve mentioned during the Keynote as well, so check the gallery.

The touchpad (full impressions here) lets you pinch to expand all the pictures in iPhoto, and if you zoom in far enough you hit one picture. Once you start using the two fingers to scroll around inside one picture, it starts to lag. It's not as responsive as an iPhone. The trackpad is bigger than on current laptops—not so narrow but more fat. The button (mouse button) is smaller than a MacBook's though.

On the top of the screen, next to the iSight, is an ambient light sensor and a mic. Since the bottom is curved down, it doesn't have a hard 90 degree edge that you hit your hand on when you're typing. Very nice.

Verdict? Ultra light, ultra awesome.

We don't know if Orbino has a special relationship with Apple that has got them early access to the MacBook Air's physical specs. Perhaps they sold their souls to the Devil to get them. Or to Steve Jobs, if you are one of those who think they are not the same person. Or perhaps this is just a smart publicity stunt, which is precisely what we think it may be.

The only thing we know for sure is that this was hidden inside their web site, not in the open. Could this be yet-one-more "evidence" confirming the rumored MacBook Air? Or just a clever way to get everyone's attention for five minutes today? Well, for sure, they achieved that last one.

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[Gizmodo ES —Thanks Edu]