Apple quietly updates $999 MacBook, tosses in free iPod for students

Apple has bumped the specs on its entry-level white MacBook with a faster Intel processor, memory architecture and more hard disk space. The update was announced quietly on the company’s online store, which now has the aforementioned laptop at the same $999 but featuring a 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo processor, up from 2.0GHz, in addition to a 160GB hard drive and 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 RAM; up from the 120GB hard drive and 667MHz memory on the previous model.


Apple also advertises up to 5 hours of battery life, a small increase over the previously advertised 4.5 hours. Otherwise all is the same, including the Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics with 256MB RAM, built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire 400 port, a Mini-DVI port, built-in iSight camera, and an 8x SuperDrive.

In addition, the new white MacBook is eligible for Apple's just-announced Back-to-School promo, which offers up to a $229 rebate good for a free 8GB iPod touch to qualifying education individuals who purchase the media player along with a qualifying Mac on the same receipt before September 8th.