Jobs unveils Apple consumer laptop

Apple interim CEO, Steve Jobs, ended weeks of speculation by unveiling the firm's latest portable Mac, the iBook, at MacWorld Expo.

Jobs said the iBook - which he described as an "iMac to go" - boasts a 300MHz processor, with a performance he claimed was "better than any other portable at any price".

Apple plans to ship the iBook in September, at a starting price of $1,599.

The iBook incorporates wireless Internet access via the "AirPort" system, which allows it to receive data up to 150 feet away from a telephone socket. This requires users to purchase an Airport card and a base station, with prices of $99 and $299 respectively.

The iBook will be available in two colours - blueberry and tangerine - and has a pullout handle. It uses Apple's Mac OS 8.6 operating system, with Internet access via a built-in 56k modem or Ethernet.

Andy Brown, research analyst at IDC, said that the iBook followed a trend of increasing stylisation among notebook manufacturers.

"The iBook is aimed at the consumer market, and it takes into account style and ergonomics which notebooks and laptop manufacturers are paying increasing attention to," he said.

Jobs also announced the launch of QuickTime TV, a TV content network using Apple's QuickTime streaming technology that he claimed will be the first "killer network on the Internet". The network will carry content from Disney, BBC World, ABC News and Rolling Stone, amongst others.