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The 13in white MacBook at the low end of the range boasts a 1.83GHz chip, half a gigabyte of memory, a 60GB hard drive and CD-RW/DVD combo drive.

Stump up another £130 and you get the 2GHz version with 1GB of memory, an 80GB disk drive and a double-layer SuperDrive: £879 inc VAT.

Then, if you're prepared to dig deeper still, for £1 shy of a grand you can get hold of the only black model in the range, which also adds a further 40GB of hard disk space to a specification that is otherwise unchanged.

As well as the 25 per cent performance boost claimed by Apple with the introduction of Intel's new processors, the MacBooks also boasts a built-in iSight camera for video chat, plus the iLife '06 suite and Front Row media software with a remote control. There's also Photobooth and trial versions of iWork '06 and MS Office. They are shipped with version 10.4.8 Tiger of Apple's Mac OS X, which includes Safari, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo

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Booth, running natively on the Intel-based notebook.

Not just powerful, Apple has slimmed the MacBooks down to a supermodel size zero 2.75cm thick. In addition to their lithe design, the MacBooks are also supplied with the MagSafe Power Adaptor. This is designed to easily disconnect should someone get caught up in the power cord, rather than send your shiny new computer spinning to the floor. Even so, the robust polycarbonate casing should be able to handle everyday wear and tear with ease.

Configuration options allow you to spec the new MacBooks with up to 2GB of memory, a 200GB hard drive, a video adaptor, Apple modem and a range of pre-installed Mac software.

'MacBook has helped drive Apple's notebook market share to over 10 percent in US retail, and the new MacBooks will be among this holiday season's most exciting new products,' said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. 'With Intel Core 2 Duo processors across the entire line, these new MacBooks are up to 25 percent faster than their predecessors.'

The new MacBooks mean that all Apple's laptops now use Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

For more information and ordering, visit the Apple website.

Apple upgraded the MacBook Pro line of notebook computers with Intel Core 2 Duo processors last month.