Perhaps the next hottest accessory for the tech crowd and greenies alike will be the new Mac Book Air. Thinner, lighter, and gorgeous in its design, Apple's new laptop weighs in at a mere 3 pounds. There's no doubt that it'll turn heads and start conversations with perfect strangers, much like its cousin the iPhone did last fall.
Since MacWorld isn't part of my world anymore, I couldn't resist checking it out virtually. Does the name "Air" refer to the minimalist form factor? The sleek aluminum clamshell opens up to reveal a bright, 13.3-inch screen that's backlit using LEDs. Kudos to Apple!
Though LED lighting isn't quite in the mainstream for home use, it seems to be one of the most promising green technologies because it's bright and uses very little energy. The Air claims a battery life of five hours and is free of mercury (found in fluorescent bulbs) and arsenic. Its hidden ports remind me of how the controls have disappeared from today's ultra-modern dishwashers.
The other seriously cool enhancement that grabbed my attention was the adoption of the "gestures" used for navigating the iPod and iPhone. The new, larger trackpad on Air recognizes pinching (for zooming) and swiping motions (like turning pages). How quintessentially Apple is that?!
As enticing as the Mac Book Air looks, it sounds like those in need of serious computing power might have to wait. Air is available with a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor at the upper end; but compared to the 2.4 GHz chips in the larger Mac Book Pro systems, I imagine it might still be slow for editing photos in Aperture, for example.
But for the many who can choose (real-world) image over (digital) imaging, the Mac Book Air truly sets a new standard for editing that facebook profile in style. Groundbreaking design, green technology, and legendary Apple ease-of-use - all coming soon to an Internet cafe near you...
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