MacBook

I love Confessions of a Shopaholic and am always down to watch it again. It's a lighthearted twist on serious issues like going into debt and dealing with sticky work situations such as office romance.

I was checking out some Labor Day sales and noticed Apple is having a Labor Day special, offering $200 rebates and free iPod touches to students who buy a laptop. For those of you looking to jump on this deal and want to jazz your new laptop up Becky Bloomwood-style, check out MacBook cases by Speck ($50). Or for the more expensive option, you can also buy your Mac from ColorWare and have it professionally colored.

We showed you Apple's much-hyped 300th store in pictures on Friday, and just as the doors were about to fling open, Incase announced that they'd be supplying the brand-new Covent Garden location with these exclusive cases for 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook and MacBook Pros. I'm not really a red kind of girl in general, but this graphic white and black outside (designed to match the inside arches of the Covent Garden store), paired with the inner red layer is totally craveworthy.

But it's not just laptop cases — Incase is covering lucky Londoner's iPhone 3GSs with the print on a Slider case as well. Color me jealous. Please Incase, bring them stateside!

There's no shortage of hilarious laptop decals out there, especially those taking advantage of the iconic Apple on MacBooks and MacBook Pros. From Lady Gaga to Yoshi, there's an Apple decal for any taste. Now, another hilarious option: MacBook Bros and Mos, black vinyl decals that transform your MacBook's Apple logo into a bro-d out or mustached dude.

Some of my favorites include "The Creepy Uncle" and "The Surrealist." Decals come from a Barcelona-based designer, and are around $10 each.

After rumored speculations on an updated MacBook leaked from Vietnam, Apple has quietly updated its white MacBook. While the computers look the same on the outside, they now come stocked with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor and a NVIDIA 320M — the same graphics card used in the latest revision of the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Additional updates include 250GB of storage and an upgraded battery, which lasts up to 10 hours — also used in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Despite the updates, the MacBook is still priced at $999; new versions are available starting today.

I oohed and ahhed over this gorgeous iPad case over the weekend, and now discovered the same company makes other gorgeous accessories, too. Two different MacBook sleeves, the Sling MacBook Sleeve ($118) and the Sling Sleeve and Extras Case ($165), are sold through the same store, based in Austria. The sleeves, while pricey, are beautifully constructed from wool felt and vegetable-dyed leather. Both feature a stretchy X-shaped elastic to hold magazines, accessories, or other items in place.

The case fastens closed with a leather flap and comes in 13 inch, 15 inch, and 17 inch varieties to hold your MacBook no matter the size.

If you're a fan of the plastic film screen protectors that come with many popular iPhone and iPod Touch cases, take note: Apple has recently initiated a ban on all screen protectors (including anti-glare and mirrored films, and mats that go between your MacBook's keyboard and screen) for its retail stores. This includes not only iPhone and iPod handsets, but also for MacBooks as well. Reasons behind the ban are unknown, but it seems those products that come with the film protectors are not only difficult to apply without leaving behind those annoying bubbles, but they also are found to have a high rate of return.

Interestingly, some sources are stating that the ban could be to ensure that screen protection isn't necessary. This comes as the iPad (which has a giant exposed screen) is gearing up for shipment.

Although white gadgets were all the rage last year, sometimes you just gotta switch things up. Incase has just released a new hard-bodied case for your white 13" MacBooks to provide not only protection with its solid construction but also variety. Which is the spice of life, don't you know. Coming in two colors (vivid turquoise and royal purple), the Hardshell Case ($50) is tough enough to stand up to abuse, but goes easy on your fingers with its soft-touch coating. If you're into the style, Incase will be rolling out more sizes for your larger MacBooks and MacBook Pros later this year.

The Hardshell Case also comes in a third hue, white, but if you already have a glossy white MacBook, I don't know why you'd want to cover it with another layer of whiteness. But to each her own, I suppose.

We've seen manila envelope cases, cases that look like desktop icons, and ones that look like they're ready for battle, but never have we seen a laptop case for your Macbook that looks like a real book. Well, until now that is. Meet the BookBook ($80) — a book for your 'Book if you will — that I came across on Gizmodo.

These laptop cases are crafted with your individuality in mind since every case has unique distressing, leather pulls, and zippers so no two are alike. The velvet interior wraps your MacBook in luxury, while the hard outside cover stands up to abuse, protecting against scratches, scrapes, and dents. If you've paid upwards of $1,000 for your MacBook, I guess it's not too much to ask to throw down $80 for a nice, protective case, right? Right.

Check out more photos of the BookBook when you read more

I'm guessing that the invite in my inbox from Apple, asking me to "come see our latest creation," means that there is in fact an unveiling taking place on Jan. 27. Whether it be the much-rumored tablet or super-charged iMacs to be debuted, I'll be there front and center to bring you up-to-the-minute news on what Apple has in store. The event begins at 10 a.m., so be sure to have your browsers pointed here next Wednesday!

I stumbled upon this magical thing the other day on the cover of an old magazine, called the ModBook. Magical, because it basically takes your MacBook and turns it into a tablet with the parts that are already in your computer. It's hilarious, not because it's ridiculous or seems unreliable — the Modbook actually looks clean and stable — but because the Apple tablet we've all been waiting for has been sitting under our noses since 2007. 2007! I had read about it, and put it completely out of my mind since then. Sure, it doesn't have touch-sensitive gestures and a touchscreen keyboard like the Apple tablet is rumored to have, but it comes with the same aesthetics, and more power than we'll be seeing in the real tablet.

The Modbook is perfect for digital artists (like those new Project Runway contestants), or people who live for Photoshop, since it has a sturdy design and tough glass screen. Plus, by modding your MacBook, you'll get GPS (which obviously doesn't come in regular MacBooks), and a digital pen. If you want to mod your own MacBook, you can send it in for a reduced price of $699 (until March 1), or you can get a brand new Modbook (with included 2.13GHz MacBook) for $1,649.