Earlier today, Steve Jobs dictated to the world the probably unnecessary but exceedingly cool shit they’d find themselves helplessly, hungrily forking over their cash for this year. The annual Macworld conference got under way this morning, Engadget reporting folks took their seats to the sounds of New Order and Mark Ronson’s “Stop Me” cover, and then got served. Now assuming Uncle Stevie’s already lured you into living iPhonically (4 million of you cannot deny), you oughta sync up right now and get the new firmware version 1.1.3, which will give the gift of multiple-recipient texts, Map with locator, and on the karaoke-lover music tip … lyrics! So you’ll never have an excuse to forget the words to Battles’ “Atlas,” no matter where you are. (We have no idea how this works yet, sorry — if you download and start playing, let us know.)
But of course the big news came when Steve dipped into a manila envelope and pulled out the world’s thinnest notebook, immediately leaving the crowd gasping for, well, Air. Wondering how they pared that thing down to less than an inch thickness? Thanks to lots of fancy circuits and microchips and stuff! We’re clueless for the most part, obviously, but one thing the Apple corps made very clear: There is no CD drive. Meaning, no burning CDs, no watching DVDs, etc. Apple has seen the future, and it is optical-free. Apparently there are workarounds for loading up music and the like, like your MacBook Air syncing wirelessly with a designated computer, parasitically feeding on its bulky optical drive. Or, like you shelling out another $99 for an external drive of your very own. Either way, that’s the future, clocking in at 80GB for $1799. CDs aren’t invited, sorry music industry. May wanna get taxing those internets after all.
And to close out Stereogum’s toe-dip into the sexy gadget bonanza that was Macworld, Engadget reports the keynote address closed out with Randy Newman crooning “You’ve Got A Friend In Me.”
That pic comes from Engadget’s liveblog. If you’re fiending for more info on all that occurred, you probably wanna go here. But if you wanna meet the new Feist, here’s the world’s thinnest notebook’s new TV spot…
That’s “New Soul” by Yael Naim. Here she is in a less corporate setting:
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sexy! but why no CD drive? that’s kind of inconvenient…
@ leslie, and probably others:
It’s not meant to be used as a primary machine, only a second one for people who already have desktop comps and want a laptop to take places. I don’t think it’s made all that clear on the site, though I have yet to see the Keynote, so I can’t vouch for that.
And Randy Newman? No.
It couldn’t be that thin if it had a CD drive in it. Removing it is what allowed this computer to exist.
Anyway, more and more people are discovering how little they use their CD/DVD drives. And, for those few instances where they need one, people can buy an external one. Kind of like what happened when Apple got rid of its standard floppy drive a few years ago – some people needed them and bought external ones, but most people didn’t miss them.
Lyrics were already an option, you just had to put them in yourself, but they show up on the first iPod nanos and every one after them. It’s actually pretty neat.
This is fundamentally the way that Apple has worked, and will continue to work under Steve Jobs: sacrifice key features for the sake of “sexiness.”
Why in the Hell would I want a computer without a CD drive? It’s like having sex with a beautiful woman with no tongue. I don’t know about the few creeps that there might be out there, but for me, a woman with a tongue is crucial in an intimate relationship.
And I get that it is intended to be a “secondary machine,” but that only leads me to the obvious point that this is way too expensive for a “secondary machine.”
*Rant Off*
Soooo…Randy Newman huh?
Feist must be sad the ride is over…
Only $3,098.00! That’s a bargain! They accept indie hipster cred right?
women with no tongues are so fucking hot.
This just in, Tom: Music is 100% digital already.
1) the macbook air is clearly a “concept” product, and (in my opionion) it sets a new standard for the digital era where we living.
2) which is the name of the feist song in the ad ??!?!?!?! I’m getting mad looking for it!
new soul ftw.
@basetta
1) agreed. and i want one.
2) are you kidding? read the post! it’s written in there. don’t lose your hair until you’ve exhausted your options.
my concern is the lack of wi-fi and ethernet!
teh internetz is now overrated..
Woah Woah Woah.. Randy Newman, no? Randy Newman’s possibly the best songwriter of his generation. Even this song, while certainly watered down, lyrically, from his more biting stuff, is amazing, especially in the context. Gosh, this is a music blog?
I wish Randy Newman could close out every single speech or address in life. Even our weekly meetings. I <3 you, girl.
meet the new Feist…..same as the old Feist
So it has no ethernet port either ?
I was recently at a fairly big hotels in 2 different major cities and was on a higher floors were wi-fi wasn’t an option and had to use ethernet
Wi-Fi isnt everywhere