Apple MacBook tweaked up: Entry-level Mac gets faster, pricier

Apple has gently and without fuss upgraded its entry-level laptop. There was barely a flicker on the notoriously drop-happy Apple Store as the pretty white computer received a tune-up, with its Intel Core Duo 2 processor ramped up from 2.26GHz to 2.4GHz and its battery life increased from 7 hours to 10.

There's also a slightly better graphics card -- an Nvidia GeForce 320M as opposed to the former GeForce 9400M. You still won't be able to play the latest games, but it'll help play video and uses less power.

The physical design retains the same clean white unibody chassis we enjoyed last year, along with the 13.3-inch screen, multi-touch glass trackpad, 2GB of RAM and 250GB hard drive.

While we might have expected Apple to upgrade to the latest generation of Intel Core i processors, the speed increase pretty much makes up for that. The current low-end MacBook Pro uses the same chip.

The only bad news is the price has crept up from £819 to £849. The older model is still on sale at Apple Stores while stocks last at the lower price, but you can buy the new one now at Apple's Web site.