The Mac-centric blogosphere is buzzing with news of Apple’s newest upgrades to the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Both get a speed bump, and the ‘Pro now also sports a Multi-Touch touchpad, along with a nice graphics processor improvement. Today, a quick rundown on the new goods!

The MacBook now comes in 2.1 and 2.4 GHz models, while the MacBook Pro gets either 2.4, 2.5 or and optional 2.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor (for an extra $250 US).

The biggest news for road warriors who also enjoy video games is the MacBook Pro’s new cutting-edge NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor, available in 256 MB of GDDR3 memory on the 15-inch 2.4 GHz model, or a whopping 512 MB on all other models.

Apple is now also offering the LED-backlit screens on the 17-inch MacBook Pro, for an extra $100 US. This optional upgrade not only offers a higher-efficiency display for longer battery life, but also gives you the higher-resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels. You can choose either the glossy or standard matte screen finish.

The LED-backlit screens are touted by Apple to be mercury free, so they’re better for the environment. Also of note is Tech Specs page for the new portables, which states that the majority of circuit board laminates are free of brominated flame retardants, and that the majority of internal cables are PVC-free. I’m not sure exactly just what a “majority,” means in this case, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open for more information to pass along as it becomes available.

One glaring omission is a BluRay optical drive option. Now that Apple’s notebook screens offer more than enough resolution for 1080p video, it’s about time to offer something besides the SuperDrive8x, which only plays standard DVDs. Third-party BluRay drives are available for Mac Pro desktops models, and I imagine it’ll only be a matter of time before they arrive on the portables, too. Evidence of this can be seen by going into the DVD Player app preferences on an Intel-based mac, which now has options for HD video.

Another omission is the lack of a two-button option for the trackpad. Sure, you can change the System Preferences to allow for two-fingers on the trackpad to send a secondary click, but I still find this cumbersome and not as simple (and reliable) as it should be. I’m also aggravated by the need to carry around an external mouse when using any other operating system.

Overall, I’m impressed with the new portable lineup. The MacBook Air is great for everyday users, as long as you can overlook the lack of a built-in optical drive, a non-removable battery and mono speaker. The MacBook is a good middle-of-the-line option, and the MacBook Pro is practically a full desktop replacement. All three come with OS X Leopard, although I do wish that the Apple Remote was included for free instead of an extra $19 US option. Also, it’s time for Apple to ditch the Combo drive on the MacBook and bring on the BluRay!

Images Courtesy of Apple