come thinner and lighter than their predecessor, with improved battery life that’s similar to the iPad’s, the company said.

“We asked ourselves what would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said. “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.”

Coupled with mobile-inspired enhancements to the computers’ operating systems, such as a planned Mac App Store (due to launch in 90 days) and multitouch enhancements for the next version of Mac OS X, aka “Lion,” the new MacBook Air models show that Apple is trying to redefine the PC market the same way it has tackled the tablet and smartphone markets.

Instead of merely selling hardware, the company seems to be positioning itself as a vertically integrated vendor of mobile devices, selling hardware and software, as well as controlling the marketplace through which customers purchase software.

“We think all notebooks are going to be like this one day,” Jobs said.

Despite its position as an underdog in the PC industry, the Mac has shown rapid growth relative to Windows-powered machines in recent years. According to an NPD Group retail sales report cited by Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook, Apple dominates the premium end of the PC market: For instance, 91 percent of $1,000+ computers sold in June 2009 were Macs. And in Apple’s latest Q4 earnings call, the company reported record-breaking sales of Macs and iPhones, resulting in its most successful quarter ever.

Cook claimed that one in five PCs sold in the United States are now made by Apple — a claim sure to be contested by other PC makers. Recent reports by IDC and Gartner show that Apple’s U.S. market share is slightly above 10 percent. That is higher than it’s been in years, but just half of what Apple is claiming.

NPD confirmed the 20 percent figure to Wired, which comes from its retail tracking service, but noted that it applied only to a single month.

The MacBook Airs will include flash storage, 802.11-N Wi-Fi and a Core 2 Duo processor. Apple increased the size of the battery to provide five to seven hours of battery life when surfing the web over Wi-Fi, and 30 days on standby time like the iPad.

The models start at $1,000 and begin shipping today.

See Also:

• Rumor: Apple to Introduce 11.6-Inch MacBook Next Week
• New MacBook Pro: 10-Hour Battery, Hi-Res Screen, i7 CPU
• New MacBook Air Will Come in 11 and 13-Inch Flavors
• Netbook Sales Shrivel as Apple Rolls Out iPad
• Apple Still Oblivious to Netbook Opportunity

Photo: Brian X. Chen/Wired.com

Authors: Brian X. Chen

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