With every generation, Apple moves more and more away from the old way of computing and into uncharted new territory.  Yes, the new MacBook Air is thinner, lighter, and cheaper than the old MacBook Air, and the battery life has improved, but the key difference between the MacBook Air and every other laptop in the Apple stable is the fact that the new edition of the MacBook Air is a true netbook, with absolutely no optical media drive available.  That’s right, there’s no DVD drive and no hard drive, only flash media.

Steve Jobs, never one to take a modest tack with his public appearances, described the genesis of the new MacBook Air as such: “We asked ourselves what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?  It’s one of the most amazing things we’ve ever created:  it is our new MacBook Air, and we think it’s the future of notebooks.”  Jobs added, “We think all notebooks are going to be like this one day.”

The two new MacBook Airs come in varying sizes, 11.6 and 13.3 inches, and feature what Apple has dubbed the Software Reinstall Drive, which features a flashdrive-based backup system to reinstall the software as needed.  Expect Apple to move to USB-style install systems full time when its latest version of OSX, dubbed Lion, debuts in 2011.  The more things change, the more Steve Jobs’ outfit remains the same.

Tags: Steve Jobs, Apple, Back to the Mac, MacBook Air, Apple netbook, MacBook Air debuts, new MacBook Air has no optical media drive, optical media, MacBook Air has no optical drive, computing trends, USB backup stick

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