Live: Apple notebook event

Check the extended section of this story for as-it-happens updates on Apple's new MacBook event.

New MacBooks and Cinema Displays will be available through the online Apple Store.

2:05 pm ET: No touchscreens as it doesn't make sense yet, and the mainboard is custom-designed by Apple even as it uses NVIDIA's chipsets. PRESENTATION OVER.

2:04 pm ET: New MacBooks are thinner and (mostly) lighter: the 13-inch model goes from 1.08in to 0.95in and now weighs just 4.5 pounds. The 15-inch MacBook Pro is 5.5 pounds. No matte displays: Apple justifies this by saying there's more light being pushed through and that the adjustability minimizes reflections.

2:00 pm ET: 17-inch MacBook Pro being refreshed today, but using older casing for now. Not worried about the 13-inch MacBook cannibalizing the MBP as pros know they need more.

1:58 pm ET: Will Apple have an exclusive on the 9400M? No, just first to market. However, NVIDIA will play a larger role in Apple's lineup.

HDMI isn't there because it can't drive a 30-inch Cinema Display like DisplayPort can. Waiting on Blu-ray for it to take off in the marketplace.

1:52 pm ET: Q&A session with Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive. Jobs jokes on health: my blood pressure is 110/70.

1:50 pm ET: Showing the actual manufacturing process (clearly proud of this).

1:47 pm ET: Video introducing new MacBooks, their unibody construction. Lighter, stronger, better!

1:46 pm ET: $1,299 (confirms price leak) for 13.3-inch display, 2GHz Core 2 Duo (note: newer generation), 2GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, Superdrive. $1,599 gets 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 250GB hard drive, Superdrive. Current white MacBook will sell for $999. New models shipping, should be in stores tomorrow.

1:43 pm ET: New MacBook: a new "sub-range" with aluminum, the glass trackpad, GeForce 9400M chipset, 5X better video performance than the Intel GMA X3100 in current MacBooks. Five hours of battery life. 42% of the parts of the previous model using the new construction technique, also 42% less packaging.

1:40 pm ET: New 24-inch Cinema Display: LED-backlit, includes stereo speakers, built-in iSight and mic, three USB ports. Ships for $899 in November.

1:39 pm ET: New MacBook Air announced: 1.6GHz and 1.86GHz Core 2 Duos (new Centrino 2 tech), 2GB RAM, 120GB hard drive and 128GB solid-state drive options -- $1,799 and $2,499 respectively. Shipping late November.

1:36 pm ET: $1,999 nets a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, 250GB hard drive, DVD Superdrive. $2,499 gets 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of DDR3, 320GB hard drive.

1:34 pm ET: DisplayPort can drive 30-inch Cinema Display (part of the DP spec); solid-state hard drive will be an option, and users can replace the hard drive themselves similar to with the 13-inch MacBook. MacBook Pro will be available today.

1:33 pm ET: FireWire 800 only FireWire option; Ethernet, two USB, and the mini-DisplayPort which will be standard on all new Macs going on.

1:31 pm ET: MBP carries both the 9400M and 9600M GT at the same time; users can switch to the 9400 to get 5 hours of battery life, or use the 9600 for faster video but 4 hours of battery. (Note: this is basically Hybrid SLI, already seen in Windows)

1:27 pm ET: MacBook Pro announced: matches leaked photos. Glossy glass, LED-backlit display, mini DisplayPort output, magnetic latch (first for MBP), backlit keyboard.

1:24 pm ET: New multi-touch glass trackpad (confirms rumor) -- 39% larger than existing trackpads, and the whole pad is the button. Press down to make a physical click. Multiple virtual buttons; four-finger multi-touch gestures, including Expose.

1:22 pm ET: GeForce 9400M is real: new mobile chipset that builds both mainboard chipset and GPU into one, with 16 graphics cores (shaders). Estimated that the 8600M in the MacBook Pro has 55% of the performance of the 9400M [likely exaggerated - ed.]

1:20 pm ET: NVIDIA on stage; they have a new chipset and graphics, but Apple wanted to know if it would work with portable devices.

1:18 pm ET: The brick process is (partly) real: build out of a single block of aluminum and remove parts for better strength. Air has some of that and is rough-cut, new process almost works in reverse.

1:15 pm ET: Current systems are "filled" with parts and then attached to a pressed baseplate; needs a support structure for the top and a plastic gasket to join the two.

1:13 pm ET: Discussing the process of how notebooks are made; new ones are a "breakthrough."

1:10 pm ET: Apple has outgrown others for four years and currently has 17.6% retail share in the US; 39% share in education.

1:08 pm ET: Note - there's a (currently single) product covered in a black cloth on the stage.

1:07 pm ET: Jobs says Macs are better due to Boot Camp, but that running Windows "sends shivers up [his] spine" and that Vista is ultimately contributing to Apple's success by letting it market to (and simply win) customers unhappy with Vista.

1:02 pm ET: Steve Jobs takes the stage, says Apple sold 2.5m Macs last reported quarter and growing 2-3X rate of industry.

12:43 pm ET: Press have been let into the Town hall, but are waiting to take their seats.

12:42 pm ET: Ready yet? Visit the Apple Store. It's already down. "We'll be back soon."

12:30 pm ET: Waiting for the keynote to start.

By Electronista Staff