Apple introduced a new innovation that hints where the company will go next. It unveiled a new version of MacBook Air in an event called “Back to the Mac” in Cupertino. The new laptop has no hard disk or DVD, instead it has flash memory which, according to the company, makes the machine faster and lighter. The new Mac Book Air also offers a quick access to the App Store and excellent software to work with cloud services. Apple introduced two models, one with 13-inch screen and another with 11-inch screen.
In general, replacing hard drives with flash memory is an interesting, but risky bet. The question is: Is the market ready to get rid of hard drives? Apple seems to think so. Analysts believe that the message Apple is sending to the industry, is still applicable to the traditional PC market, but with a touch of innovation. Apple is trying to prove that it can still become a leader of innovation. It seeks to emphasize new ideas, not only to create new devices, which are the traditional characteristic of Apple. The new Mac weighs 3lbs and it measures 1.7 inches at its thickest part and 0.28 inches at its thinnest point.Months ago, Steve Jobs said that the iPad will eventually kill the laptop market. But with the launch of the new Mac Book Air, it proves that Apple is not ready to leave the laptop market yet. Apple claimed that the battery will allow users to surf the web for seven hours and in standby mode, it can run for up to 30 days. The cheapest version will cost 9 and it is now already on sale. Macintosh earned Apple a third of its .24 billions profits in the last fiscal year. Last year the company sold 13.7 million Macs, which represents three times greater sales than in 2005. According to a survey, one in five of PCs sold in the United States bears the Apple logo.
Apple also introduced to the public the next iteration of Macintosh OS, which will be available soon. Under the name “Lion”, the new Mac OS incorporates an improved version of the multimedia program package called “iLife”, which incorporates FaceTime, which is recently launched for the iPhone and enable video calls not only from a phone, but also from a computer to a phone and computer to computer. In addition, the iLife also includes a suite of multimedia software for video editing, organizing photos, web design, DVD management and music composition.