Steve Jobs is making a roar at Macworld with announcements that involve many current and new products.  Apple TV, iTunes, iPod Touch, and the iPhone all made out with some upgrades today.  The new MacBook looks out of this world.  Apple needed to start off the year right, and it appears that the company is doing exactly that.  It was quite the keynote.

MacBook Air

The biggest announcement is that Apple will be releasing the MacBook Air.  It is the world's thinnest laptop.  This thing is only 12.8 inches wide and 0.16-0.76 inches thick.  It is said to be able to fit inside an interoffice mailing envelope.

The specifications look pretty good.  Intel Core 2 Duo powers the MacBook Air while running at 1.6GHz (1.8GHz optional). The 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM will allow users to run all the applications they need.  It also has an 800MHz frontside bus and operates with 4MB of L2 cache.  The notebook should be able to squeeze out five hours of battery life with wireless enabled.  It is a very nice package for the price and style.

Within two weeks consumers can get their hands on one of these.  That is, if they are willing to fork out the $1,799 to purchase it.  It looks sleek, sexy, and futuristic.  It seems destined to be a hit.

iTunes

Apple has announced that starting today U.S. iTunes users will be able to rent over 1,000 movies from iTunes.  Users will able to watch those movies on their computer, iPod, and iPhone.  It is like going to a local Blockbuster, but only without the DVDs and the driving included.

New releases will cost $3.99, older titles will cost $2.99, and HD content will cost $4.99 per video.  Somewhat expensive, especially when considering alternatives like Netflix in particular, but the convenience factor will play a part.

Once a rental is purchased it will be available to be played a single time within 30 days, but it will only remain available within 24 hours after the play button has been pressed.  So if a user is one of those types of people who tend to rent something and never return it or take long breaks between viewing, then this might not be the solution that person.

Apple TV

Apple TV will be getting some upgrades as well.  Users will be able to purchase and view content directly from the box itself.  This means that people no longer have to utilize iTunes from a computer.  In addition, Apple TV users can also purchase songs from the Apple TV in the comfort of your living room.

The price-tag comes out at $229.  Existing Apple TV users will be able to upgrade the software to older hardware in two weeks.  Sounds like a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

Time Capsule

Great name aside, the Time Capsule, which is based on the AirPort Extreme, will make data backup a breeze.  Storage backup is becoming popular in the tech industry, and this product will meet the needs for those serious about their data.  A 1-terabyte version will be available for $499, and a 500-gigabyte version will retail for $299.

iPhone

Apple has also also announced that a new iPhone update will provide new features like GPS with maps, Webclips, new SMS messaging options, customization to the home screen, and a lyrics feature.  Webclips are essentially Safari bookmarks that are saved to the home screen, and nine is the limit.  It is a free update, so all of you who are lucky enough to own an iPhone should be sure to look for it.

iPod Touch

iPod Touch users will gain access to new applications today: Mail, Stocks, Notes, and Weather are included.  It will cost users $20, but it might be worth it.

Other Notables

• Apple shipped 5 million copies of Leopard in its first three months of after shipping
• 20% of Mac OS X users have upgraded to Leopard
• Option USB Air SuperDrive (for the MacBook Air) will be for $99

Looks like things are going well in the Apple camp so far.  No announcement of the "iPhone Mini" just yet, but there is a full year ahead of us.