Apple on Tuesday unveiled a 13-inch MacBook, the newest member of its family of Intel-based laptops.
Billed as a replacement to the 12-inch PowerBook, the 13-inch widescreen MacBook, which is on sale now, starts at $1,099 (£582) for a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor with a 60GB hard drive. Like the former iBooks, that model — and the next model up, which packs a 2.0GHz processor, a 60GB hard drive and a $1,299 price tag — is cased in white.
The top-of-the-line 2.0GHz model, starting at $1,499, comes equipped with an 80GB hard drive and is available only in black.
The new MacBooks weigh 5.2 pounds each and measure about one inch thick, making them about 20 percent thinner than the iBook. According to press materials from Apple, they're also equipped with a display that is 79 percent brighter than the iBook and the 12-inch PowerBook.
Each of the new MacBooks will come with a built-in iSight video camera, which can be used for video conferencing and video podcasts.
They also include built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11g Wi-Fi connectivity, built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), two USB 2.0 ports, combination analog and optical digital audio input and output ports, and a mini DVI video output to connect up to a 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display.
Apple first announced the MacBook Pro series, which features models with 15- and 17-inch screens, in January. Rumours of the latest MacBook revelations had been swirling in recent weeks, with one Mac rumour site predicting that the release would be a week earlier.
