MacWorld 2008 Keynote Address

While the Keynote by Jobs was more evolutionary than the revolutionary 2007 presentation of the iPhone, there were several great products talked about this year.

Apple's Time Capsule

First up was the introduction of Apple's Time Capsule. This is an Airport Extreme base station with an internal hard drive so it can now back up your computers without any wires. Apple's Time Capsule also come equipped with the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi making it compatible with Macs and PCs that use 802.11a, b, or g technology, as well as Apple's other wireless devices such as iPhone and Apple TV.

There will be 2 versions with two price points available: A 500 GB version for $299, and a 1 TB for $499

Apple iPhone/iTouch software update

This version of the iPhone software has been upgraded to add Google Maps with location, Webclips which are website bookmarks added to your home screen, and most importantly, the iPhone will now be able to send SMS text messages to multiple people at the same time. This update is also available for the Apple iTouch for a one time $20 fee.

iTunes Movie Rentals

Scoring a major coup, Apple has signed most of the major movie studios up (Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, FOX, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, and Sony) to allow movie rentals onto any device with iTunes (Macs, PCs, all current iPods and iPhones). By February 2008, there will be over 1000 movies available and more movies will continue to be added normally 30 days after their DVD release. Movies that are downloaded/rented will be able to be viewed for one 24 hour period within a 30 day timeframe. Older titles will cost $2.99, while new releases will cost $3.99

Apple TV version 2

With the release of the new Apple TV, there's no computer required. The Apple TV box will allow you to rent movies in your choice of DVD quality or HD + Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Podcasts are available in audio and video format. Photos can be downloaded from Flikr and your .Mac account. The Apple TV will still sync with your iTunes account. Photo screensavers can be retrieved from .Mac web galleries. Music can be purchased from the iTunes Store from within the Apple TV.

HD rentals are $4.99. 100 titles are available today. The price of the Apple TV price drop has dropped with the entry level price dropping from $299 to $229.

MacBook Air - "The World's Tiniest Laptop"

Steve Jobs introduced the audience to the latest in the Mac family of computers. As suspected, it was called the MacBook Air and between 0.16" to 0.76". The thickest part of the MacBook Air is thinner than the thinnest part of competing thin notebooks. Steve Jobs showed a picture where the MacBook Air actually fits inside a envelope

Specs for the MacBook Air:

1.8" Hard Drive 80 GB hard disk standard, 64 GB SSD as an option (no movable parts but will be more expensive)

1.6 GHz Standard, 1.8 GHz Option -- Intel Core 2 Duo which Intel shrunk the processor by 60%. According to Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel, "The processor is as thick as a nickel and as wide as a dime."

2 GB Memory standard

5 hours of Battery Life

The MacBook Air will also come equipped with a magnetic latch, an LED backlight 13.3" widescreen display, iSight camera, MacBook style keyboard, and a new Multi-touch track pad with increased functionality (including the pinching we iPhone users have grown to love)

Other features include a 45 Watt MagSafe power supple, a single USB 2.0 port, a Micro-DVI, Audio Out, 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR

The lowest price of the Apple MacBook Air will be $1799. Pre-Orders are being taken on www.apple.com and will begin shipping in two weeks.

While these products in and of themselves are not as mind numbing as the iPhone announced at last year's Mac Expo, Steve Jobs and the gang at Apple have show they won't be wilting flowers in 2008 with the iPhone updates, the Apple TV version 2, and the Apple MacBook Air.