Apple Unveils First Sub-$1,000 MacBook

While the rumors about the new aluminum manufacturing technique proved correct, reports of an $800 entry-level laptop were wide of the mark, which may explain the market's less-than-positive response to the Cupertino event. Apple shares closed down $6.18, or $5.6%, to $104.08.

"Obviously, the market was anticipating a lower figure, that's absolutely clear," said Kevin Keller, a hardware analyst at iSuppli. "It seems like the hype was a little overblown."

As anticipated, though, the tech giant unveiled MacBooks built from a single piece of aluminum Tuesday, which it claims will be more robust than traditional laptops, while using half the number of components during the manufacturing process.

The aluminum casing is available on new versions of the MacBook Pro, an upgraded MacBook Air, and a high end-version of the standard MacBook.

Rumors that Apple was planning to boost the performance of its notebooks with faster graphics were also confirmed at the Cupertino 'Town Hall' event.

Apple's Job also took a swipe at the constant rumors about Steve Jobs' health during Tuesday's event.

Aat one point, Job's blood pressure reading --- 110/70 --- appeared on a giant screen behind the company's CEO. "This is all we're going to talk about on Steve's health today," said Jobs, "If you want to see this number go higher, try asking more questions."