With both an update to its operating system due next year and new laptops available now, Apple is trying to infuse the Mac with some of the best qualities of the iPhone and iPad.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs presents new MacBook Airs among other things at a Mac event yesterday at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. (Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

The new line of MacBook Airs are thinner and lighter than the prior model, while aiming to offer the kind of instant-on and ultra-long battery life found in the iPad. Available in both 11.6- and 13.3-inch models, the machines range from AU$1199 to AU$1949 depending on the combination of screen, processor and storage. All use flash memory rather than a hard drive, boasting anywhere from five to seven hours of battery life in "wireless web use", Apple said.

Specs for the new MacBook Air (Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

Speaking to reporters, Apple CEO Steve Jobs likened the new products, which range from 1 to 1.3 kilograms, to what might result if a MacBook and an iPad "hooked up".

Longer term, Apple wants to bring more of the iOS to the Mac, adding broader support for multi-touch and an App Store. Those and other features will find there way into the next Mac OS X, dubbed Lion, which is due out in mid-2011.

Apple intends to bring the App Store to the Mac sooner though, with plans to launch a version for Snow Leopard within 90 days. Developers can start submitting apps next month. Although the App Store won't be the only way to get Mac apps, it will be "the best" way, Jobs said.

Finally, the company announced a new version of iLife. It will sell for US$49 for existing Mac owners and will come free on new Macs.

Via CNET