At the launch of the original MacBook Air in January 2008, Apple claimed to be the "thinnest laptop" in the world. However, the by-then discontinued Mitsubishi Pedion, released in 1998, was thinner than the Macbook Air at its widest point, being a rectangular 0.72 inches (18 mm).[47][48] The original MacBook Air was thicker at its thickest point (0.76 inches (19 mm)), but it tapered down to 0.16 inches (4 mm), leading to some controversy over the "thinnest" laptop claim.

The likewise discontinued Sharp Actius MM10 Muramasas was also described in some sources as thinner than the Macbook Air, being 0.54 inches (14 mm) thick at its minimum.[49] It, like the MacBook Air, was a tapered design, with a maximum height of 0.78 inches (20 mm), in fact slightly thicker than the MacBook Air.[50]

Since the release of the original MacBook Air, a number of ultrathin laptops have been released, including the Dell Adamo,[51] launched in March 2009, and a constant 0.65 inches (17 mm) thick, and the even thinner Adamo XPS, launched September 2009, only 0.39 inches (10 mm) thick. Also, the Sony VAIO X-series, launched in October 2009, is 0.55 inches (14 mm) thick throughout the entire body. Apple has consequently dropped the 'world's thinnest laptop' claim from their marketing.

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