Apple MacBook Air 2010 official photos

The new Apple MacBook Air is so skinny, you can use it to shave, open letters, or throw at evildoers -- and make FaceTime video calls.

Richard Trenholm

Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.

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Richard Trenholm

Oct. 21, 2010 2:49 a.m. PT

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Apple has updated the MacBook Air slimline laptop -- remember that? We thought everybody had forgotten about Apple's expensive frippery, especially now the iPad's here to take the mantle of latest cool toy. The new models, though, are thin enough to shave with before you make a FaceTime video call.

The new Air comes in two screen sizes: 13.3 and 11.6 inches. Each version is skinnier than a model coming back from the loo, the frame tapering from 17 to a mere 2.8mm. In a neat new twist on convergence, this means the Air will now function as a letter opener.

The 13-inch model boasts a 1,440x900-pixel screen, 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics. Memory options are a 128GB or 256GB solid-state flash drive. Apple claims it has addressed the battery concerns of the original Air, claiming the battery life is 7 hours of real-world use. It's clearly learned something from the iPad's prodigious battery if the claim of 30 days on standby is to be believed.

The smaller model has an 11-inch, 1,366x768-pixel display, and will keep on trucking for up to 5 hours. 64GB and 128GB solid-state storage is available.

Both models pack FaceTime cameras, the video-calling feature first seen in the iPhone 4 and now coming to Apple's Snow Leopard desktop and laptops.

The new MacBook Air is available now. The 11-inch model starts at £850, and the 13-inch starts at £1,100. Air your thoughts in the comments below.