SAN FRANCISCO — With an ultra-slim notebook computer and online movie-rental service unveiled Tuesday, Apple is building on surging Mac intosh sales and doubling its bet on delivering video to portable devices and televisions over the Internet.
Apple’s foray into the online movie-rental business was widely expected, but chief executive Steve Jobs surprised some by pulling off alliances with all six major movie studios.
Users can watch films instantly over a broadband Internet connection or download and keep them for 30 days. They just have to finish watching the movie within 24 hours after starting.
And tapping another computer segment, Jobs took the wraps off the MacBook Air laptop and touted it as “the world’s thinnest notebook.” It’s less than an inch thick — just 0.16 inches at its thinnest point.
Always a showman, Jobs unwound the string on a standard-sized manila office envelope and slid out the ultra-thin MacBook Air to coos and peals of laughter at the conference.
It weighs 3 pounds and comes with an 80-gigabyte hard drive.
The machine does not have an optical drive built in for reading CDs and DVDs. Jobs says consumers can download movies and music over the Internet and access the optical drives on other PCs and Macs to install new software. An external drive to use for that purpose will retail for $99.
The new laptop, which has a 13.3-inch screen and full-size laptop keyboard, will cost $1,799.
“They have a new hit on their hands,” said Jim Grossman, who helps manage more than 1 million Apple shares at Thrivent Asset Management in Appleton, Wisconsin. “You have to pay for that thinness, but I don’t think anything out there is anywhere near as cool as this notebook is. People who aren’t even Mac fans will drool over it.”
Films will be available through iTunes within 30 days after they’re released on DVD. More than 1,000 will be ready by the end of February, at $2.99 for older movies and $3.99 for new releases, plus $1 for high-definition versions.
