Apple MacBook Air is world's thinnest laptop

So, if you've been reading the live-blog from Macworld, you'll already know all about the tiny new Apple laptop - the MacBook Air. If you haven't, read on and prepare for a serious outbreak of techno lust.

First up, the headline numbers - the MacBook Air can fit in a manila envelope thanks to its 0.4 - 1.94cm thickness (front to back) and 32.5cm width, although the 1.36kg weight isn't as light as we had hoped. A battery life of 5 hours with all the wireless features switched on is reasonably good, but not stunning.

Clean looks, green build

Next, the 13.3-inch LED-backlit screen nicely matches the auto-backlit keyboard that makes typing in the dark that little bit less of a chore. Then there's the lack of an optical drive and the almost total absence of external ports - only single Micro-DVI, USB 2.0 and audio ports sully the sleek exterior - all of which disguise a surprisingly powerful interior.

Made from recyclable aluminum, the Air sports a physically shrunken Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz processor that can be upgraded to 1.8GHz. Apple's environmental credentials include a mercury-, arsenic- and PVC-free design and reduced amounts of recyclable packaging.

On the storage front, there's an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive of the kind currently installed in full-size iPods and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM.

Should you fancy taking advantage of Apple's offer to replace the HDD with a 64GB solid-state drive, add an extra £639. Ouch. Wireless connectivity comes courtesy of Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1.

Sayonara DVD drive

Just as Apple once did away with floppy disk drives, the MacBook Air will ship without an optical drive, although an external DVD-writing SuperDrive can be purchased for £65. When it comes to the tricky task of installing software, a new feature called Remote Disk allows the Air to wirelessly hijack the CD/DVD drives of nearby Macs and even PCs.

Lastly, if you want one of these beauties, you'll have to wait - the MacBook Air will go on sale in two to three weeks starting at £1,199, but pre-orders are now being accepted on Apple's website.