About this time last year, all the world (myself included) was buzzing about the iPhone, Apple's revolutionary, 4-million unit-selling "mobile communications device". This year, it's not a phone, but it's still mobile, and it's definitely wireless.

The MacBook Air is thin. Fits in a manila envelope thin. .76 inches thick, thin.

To get the MacBook Air so thin, Apple had to make everything inside smaller - the battery, hard drive, and processor are all thinner - while still providing a 13.3" LED-backlit LCD display (the same size as the standard MacBook) and full, backlit keyboard. The MacBook Air even takes a trick from the iPhone and iPod Touch with its "oversize trackpad with multi-touch technology. You can pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image."

A few potential drawbacks I can see: The MacBook Air does not have a removable battery; if you are on the go for a while without access to an electrical outlet, you may be in trouble. Also, to maintain it's thinness, the MacBook Air does not have an optical (read: DVD) drive; Apple thinks everything will be wireless soon enough, but still offers a special MacBook Air SuperDrive for an additional $99.

On the environmental end of things, the MacBook Air is Apple's most energy efficient computer ever. It's aluminum casing is recyclable. The display is both mercury and arsenic free. The internal cables are PVC free. The MacBook Air comes in low-volume, "highly recyclable" packaging. And it meets Energy Star guidelines, and was awarded a Silver rating by EPEAT.

All of this up-to-the-minute coolness is going to set you back some: the MacBook Air starts at $1699. Of course, I can't post about Apple without telling you to visit my friends at Tech Superpowers, who are Apple authorized resellers and will surely be stocking the MacBook Air.