Well, it looks like MG Siegler over at TechCrunch called it. Yesterday, Apple announced the new line of Macbook Air laptops and they’ll ship with the little number you see in the picture. That’s right, that’s your recovery drive.

It’s a miniature USB stick, packed with the data that would normally come on an Apple recovery disc. This isn’t a huge surprise – more like the natural evolution of data storage. DVDs replaced CDs a while back for their superior storage. Flash drives have long since surpassed DVD storage, but they’re still more expensive to make. By stripping away a lot of the plastic and limiting storage, I’d imagine the cost will come down enough that we’ll see this option more and more often.

Aside from the new recovery method, the new Air line is looking pretty good. It comes in 11-inch and 13-inch models and is ridiculously thin. Both models have the unibody design and now sport the multi-touch trackpad present on the Macbook line. For me, 11-inches is way too small, especially if it’s widescreen. My current 13-inch MB Pro often feels too small, if only because of resolution.

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It seems appropriate, then, to give you a look at a slick little external battery that could calm your nerves. The HyperMac external notebook battery comes in four varieties: 60Wh/100Wh/150Wh/222Wh at respective prices of $200/$300/$400/$500. While the top tier is certainly pricey for the device, it yields a whopping 8 hours of battery life for a Macbook Pro, 32 for the Macbook Air. Huge.

Speaking of size, you will pay for all that power with a little bit of girth. The HyperMac is definitely small enough to fit into a laptop bag at 10.1″ x 5.91″ x 1.34″ but it weighs in at 4.7 pounds, adding some decent weight to your shoulder. The benefits of all that weight, though, include the ability to power your laptop while the HyperMac charges (freeing up your other Magsafe for use elsewhere in the house) and USB device charging at the same time.

Sanho Corp did its best work offering different price points for different models. I’ve passed on plenty of these things because I just don’t ever need the extra 10, 16, 24 hours of battery life they provide. The 60Wh version is plenty for me.

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