Apple Revs Up Entry-Level MacBook

Although rumors have been circulating for a few weeks now, Apple has quietly revised the specs of its entry-level white MacBook notebook computers, pushing the systems up to a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, putting in the same Nvidia 320M graphics with 256 MB of video memory that can be found the its 13-inch MacBook Pro, and including a beefier battery that Apple says can give the machine up to 10 hours of use on a single charge.

Other specs for the machine—including its start $999 price tag—remain the same. The MacBook stoll sports 2 GB of RAM (supports up to 4 GB), a 250 GB hard drive, a 13.3-inch 1280 by 800-pixel display, a slot-loading DVD±RW DVD drive, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 wireless networking, a mini DisplayPort output, integrated iSight camera, two USB 2.0 ports, and Apple’s nifty MagSafe power adapter.

The MacBook update lands in time for the back-to-school season, which typically sees computer update purchases start in the summer. However, Apple’s decision to quietly update the entry-level MacBook makes one of Apple’s signature notebooks—the super-slim MacBook Air—look even longer in the tooth: it hasn’t received an update in quite some time. Industry watchers generally expect Apple will refresh the MacBook Air before the end-of-year holiday buying season begins in earnest.

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