The unibody MacBook sports a polycarbonate unibody design featuring a LED-backlit display, a glass Multi-Touch trackpad and Apple’s built-in battery for up to seven hours of battery life. Some people don't like the fact that Apple insists on having built-in (and non-user replaceable) batteries on all its laptops, but I don't mind as this provides more battery life. Depleted batteries can be replaced for $129.

The polycarbonate enclosure makes the MacBook slightly lighter (4.7 pounds). Apple says it also makes it more durable. That may be true, but the white case is still very prone to scratches and smudges.

Still, the new design has several things going for it. The non-skid bottom surface is a nice touch (though it's a dirt magnet, so you'll want to clean it regularly). The unibody design is more attractive with more curves, less hard edges and a lack of flaps and covers. The keyboard layout is the same, but on-key shortcuts have been updated to the latest standards.

The laptop sports a new Mini DisplayPort video output (rather than mini-DVI), bringing it in line with the rest of the latest Mac portables and desktops. It also combines the audio input and output ports instead of sporting separate jacks.

The unibody MacBook comes standard with a bright, gorgeous LED-backlit display with 1280 x 800 resolution and the same wide-angle viewing technology used in the MacBook Pro line. Of course, if you have an aversion to glossy screens, you're out of luck as there's no matte option.

The new MacBook is, as you'd expect, more powerful than its predecessor. It has a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. It certainly feels zipper than its predecessor; for specs and benchmarks you can go here.

The MacBook doesn't have the backlit keyboard that the MacBook Pros boast. I can understand that since this is a consumer machine and you can't have all the pro features. However, I do lament the lack of a SD card reader and FireWire port. The former seems a natural for a consumer laptop, and the latter is needed for one of Mac OS X's nicest features: the ability to transfer files from your current Mac to a new one via FireWire. Yes, there are other ways to do it, but FireWire offers the easiest, fastest method.

Is the new MacBook a good value? Yes, though the inclusion of the missing features or a price cut (say, to $899) would have been nice. However, if you can spring for the extra cash, the $1,199, 13-inch MacBook Pro is a better buy.

Macsimum rating: 7 out of 10

The new MacBook is available immediately through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. (Thanks to our friends at The Mac Authority for making this review possible.)