Source: The Hindu
(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/17/stories/2008011750842000.htm)
International
Laptop that fits in an envelope
Bobbie Johnson
A new challenge to competitors
San Francisco: Apple has already made waves with its iPod, iPhone and trendy
desktop computers, but on Tuesday the company threw out a new challenge to its
competitors, the worlds thinnest laptop. The secretive Silicon Valley company
confirmed the launch of the $2,366 Macbook Air, which is just 2cm deep thin
enough to fit inside an envelope. In his Macworld Expo keynote speech,
speculation over which has been rife for weeks, chief executive Steve Jobs said
Apple would try to take control of the video industry with movie rentals and a
revamped Apple TV to stream films direct to television screens. Until now
iTunes customers have been able to buy movies outright, a business which has
not been as successful as Apples entry into music. Apple TV, which allows
video to be streamed from a computer to a television screen, has struggled to
make an impact. But Mr. Jobs predicted that a re-launch of the device would
mark a significant shift in the film industry. On iTunes
weve sold 125m TV shows, and weve sold 7m movies its more than everyone
else put together, but it didnt meet our expectations, he said.
I think weve got it right this time. Weve all tried to figure out how to
get movies over the internet and on to the TV - but weve all missed, no one
has succeeded yet.
We tried with Apple TV, but its not what people wanted. So were back with
Apple TV take two no computer is required. You can rent movies directly on
your widescreen TV and you can rent them at DVD quality or you can rent then at
high definition quality. Costing $229, the system hooks into the companys
plans to offer films to rent over the internet through its iTunes store, also
confirmed on Tuesday.
The company said it would join film studios including 20th Century Fox and
Sony to allow iTunes users to stream movies direct to their computer or TV for
a one-off payment of between $3 and $5.
The system will have 1,000 new titles and back catalogue films available by
the end of February.
It will start immediately in the U.S. and in other territories later this
year. Were dying to get this international as well, said Mr.
Jobs. © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008
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