Apple releases new MacBook laptops

Apple announced last night that it has updated its MacBook laptops with faster processors, more memory and more hard-drive space.

The new laptops are now available from Apple retail stores, product resellers and the company's online store.

The new consumer laptops, all of which are an inch thick and have a 13.3-inch display with 1280x800-pixel wide-screen resolution, are available in three models: white with the option of 2GHz or 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors, or black with the faster processor.

All three models are equipped with 1GB of RAM that can be expanded to 2GB of RAM. They also have built-in iSight video cameras, AirPort Extreme wireless cards capable of 802.11n wireless networking, two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire port.

The lower-end white MacBook, with a starting price of AU$1,599, comes with an 80GB hard drive; while its 2.16GHz counterpart has a 120GB hard drive and a faster, double-layer support 8x SuperDrive DVD drive, and costs AU$1,899. The black MacBook, identical to the faster white MacBook except for the color and a beefed-up 160GB hard drive, is priced at AU$2,199.

The new MacBooks do not include several rumored features such as Intel "Santa Rosa" processors, solid-state hard drives or LED-backlit displays.

Apple also manufactures higher-end MacBook Pro laptops, which did not receive updates this week.