Apple releases updated $999 MacBook with GeForce 320M graphics

Apple on Tuesday quietly updated its low-end MacBook, giving the entry-level hardware a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics, and a reported 10 hours of battery life.

The new hardware packs many of the same features as the MacBook redesign released in 2009, including an LED-backlit display, polycarbonate unibody enclosure, and a built-in battery. The hardware also comes standard with 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 RAM, a 250GB 5400 RPM hard drive, 1280x800 pixel widescreen display, and an 8x double-layer SuperDrive.

The new MacBook, with its updated processor and mobile graphics, is said to achieve up to 10 hours of uptime with its built-in battery. It also gets the improved, streamlined MagSafe connector found in the latest MacBook Pro models, which points the adapter cord backward rather than perpendicular from the body. The $999 hardware is available immediately.

The new MacBook was leaked over the weekend by a Vietnamese website that got their hands on the final model, including packaging. It was obtained by the same site that also received a prototype of Apple's next-generation iPhone.

Apple last updated its entry level MacBook line in October of 2009, giving the $999 machine a polycarbonate unibody design, LED-backlit display, multi-touch trackpad, and built-in battery with 7 hours of run time.