Lenovo challenged Apple’s latest creation, the MacBook Air, and unveiled on Tuesday the highly-expected ThinkPad X300, an ultrathin notebook, competing for the lead position on the market to date, weighting 2.93 pounds and 0.73 inches in its thinnest point.

The difference between the two ultrathin notebooks is that Lenovo’s creation brings a little extra features compared to MacBook Air, which might give the latter quite a competition. The ThinkPad X300 includes 3 USB drives and a DVD-RW drive, compared to MacBook Air’s single USB drive and no DVD drive.

The DVD-RW version of the X300 weights 3.13 pounds, and it may not be as thin as the MacBook Air (0.16 at its thinnest point, compared to 0.73 of the X300), but it certainly gives it a run in terms of components, in other words, ultra-functional, how its developers called it.

Lenovo’s amazing ultraportable notebook integrates functionality – DVD burner, USB ports, microphone and headphone ports, with practical features: wireless option, Gigabit Ethernet and a 10-hour battery.  At the same time, the notebook offers a 64GB solid state hard drive, 2.0 GB RAM and an Intel Core Duo 1.2 GHz processor.

The ThinkPad X300 offers illuminated buttons and it is the first in the X series to incorporate a camera and stereo speakers. The notebook is also environmental friendly – 90 percent recyclable packaging - and uses 25 percent less energy than previous X models.

 In terms of power saving, the notebook has been designed to be among the best in terms of longevity, thanks to its LED backlit display with 1440 x 900 resolution, the energy-saving processor, the extended battery (Li-Ion, over-discharge protection), all materializing in up to 10-hours of continuous use.

Lenovo said the product will become available online, as well as retail shops, starting this week, although shipments will have a slower start. The official price will begin at $2,799, the version without a DVD drive, and it will come with an integrated system, whether it will be Vista or Windows XP.