In case you missed it...

And I'm fairly sure you didn't. MacWorld kicked off this morning with Steve Job's keynote address and the long rumored announcement of the MacBook Air, along with updates to the iPhone, movie rentals through iTunes and another shot at AppleTV.

But it was the long-rumored MacBook Air that was the centerpiece of Apple's new offerings. Some specs:

• 13.3 inch backlit LED display
• .76 inches at its thickest point; .16 inches at its thinnest
• 3 pounds
• 80GB hard drive
• Track pad uses same touch-screen technology as iPhone
• Backlit keyboard
• USB, Micro-DVI and headphone inputs only; no optical drive
• Starting at $1,799

The MacBook Air is built for the wireless world, ditching the optical drive and minimizing inputs to just three of the most essential, all hidden behind a flip-down door until needed. To make this reductionist Mac possible, Apple has created Remote Disc, which lets you wirelessly transfer files from other Macs and PCs in the vicinity. (I'm unclear if they have to be on your same network). The already-released Time Capsule allows users to back up any data already on their MacBook Air. For those of us that watch movies on the computer, Apple is quick to point out their new rental service is a great way to watch movies wirelessly in the absence of the optical drive. Jobs even make a point to mention that it is green in his keynote -- Mercury and Arsenic free LCD and glass, Aluminum frame can be recycled. PVC free on circuitry, and packing is less. As usual, this is another product that is enhanced with the help of other Apple products (i.e. Time Capsule, iTunes Rentals), assuring that your optimal MacBook Air experience will happen all within the Apple family.

I'm pretty happy with my MacBook, which is less than a year old. But Apple is a smart marketer and has once again succeeded in making it feel obsolete. The MacBook Air seems like more of an on-the-go machine, as initial set-up and file storage is dependent upon a previous functioning machine or external storage, so it will be interesting if this signals the end of the regular MacBook line. The MacBook Air is a pretty sleek design, but for $1,799 and the dependence on wireless, it feels like it's missing something. Maybe I'm just too old school for Apple.

MacBook Air Demo (Apple.com)

MacWorld Keynote (TechCrunch)

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