New MacBooks dropping plastic for aluminum

The MacBook redesign is just around the corner, and further proof has surfaced that it's going to look a lot like its siblings.

AppleInsider reports that new MacBooks and new MacBook Pros have been spotted by people-in-the-know, and that as expected the new systems will get aluminum-based exteriors similar to the ones found on the MacBook Air and iMac. This will give Apple some consistency across the Mac notebook lineup entering the holiday shopping season; for years, the MacBook has had a distinct look separate from the MacBook Pro.

One interesting part of the report also suggests that Apple plans to drop the Firewire 400 port and the DVI-I ports currently found on the MacBook Pro in favor of a Firewire 800 port and a mini-DVI port.

New MacBooks have been expected for months now as the MacBook design gets a little long in the tooth. The last time new details surfaced on the notebooks, October 14 was targeted as the introduction date.