As Apple's MacWorld Expo draws near, more reports have been made regarding mysterious versions of MacBooks sporting a new "metallic-grey color" and were described to be distinctively  "thinner" than the laptop's usual models.

Is this our first glimpse into Apple's introduction for the MacWorld Expo next year? More details at the full article.

Via Retrodata, we've learned of a particularly nasty flaw in Seagate Macbook drives that could essentially destroy the data on your computer.

Some faulty Seagate 2.5" hard drives from China have surfaced and, according to Retrodata, "the read/write heads appear to fail mechanically, quickly causing deep scratches to the platter surface, and rendering the drives practically unrecoverable."

Apple will introduce a slimmer, ultra-compact Apple notebook in the next Macworld Expo. We're looking at a slimmer notebook that's guaranteed not to consume as much energy as most other laptops. What else can be expected in this new model? Read on to find out.

PiperJaffray analyst Greg Munster predicts that the iPhone may just be getting a new search feature, the styling of the Mac OS X's Spotlight function. The catch is that this may not be available until early next year.

That aside, Munster also made predictions for other Apple matters, such as the recent UK launch for the iPhone, and the new MacBook. Full details on Munster's predictions are available in the full article.

An alarmed Apple OS X Leopard user spotted a serious bug that leads to deletion of files. Here's how the bug is triggered: while moving files - especially large files or volumes - if the destination volume disappears in the middle of moving operation the data, will disappear. Being a helpful Mac user, he posted an explanation how and why the bug happens, and also put in tips on how to avoid this bug.

Rumors have been going around recently after website Switch to a Mac speculated that new Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro models should be revealed soon. Some say there's nothing more to it than old tricks of predicting Apple releases, while others believe the idea is feasible.

According to observations, Apple updated the MacBook twice since its May 16, 2006 release with an average of 182 days interval between revisions, so expecting a new Macbook around November 6 would sound like a good bet. If that date is right on the money, the average will remain at 182 days.

However, predictions for a new MacBook Pro also factor in. Apple updated the MacBook Pro for three times since its June 10, 2006 release with 170 days in-between, making November 13 the ideal date. In case this actually happens, the MacBook is expected to get a new model about three weeks earlier.

To further support the wild guess for revised MacBook models, Switch to a Mac added:

Apple's new Leopard operating system has revealed drivers for the Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics chip, a successor to the Intel GMA 950 which is used in current MacBooks. This finding would imply that the next MacBook revision may be upgraded to the Santa Rosa chipset and that a MacBook revision is imminent.

Microsoft just came out with a sack-load of information about its line of Office suites for Apple platforms. Office 2008 for Macs is the latest installment, allowing for document cross-platform compatibility (the sure-fire way) if you could afford the price. Because for the three offered flavors of Mac-compatible suite, the lowest tag would still cost a student a leg and part of an arm.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home and Student Edition is the cheapest flavor of the three offered packages, but it asks students to shell out US$ 149.99 for its full retail version. A single purchase allows for three licenses, though it comes with limited features, such as no connectivity to Microsoft Exchange servers and automated workflow tools.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac is the name of the regular package, though it costs US$ 349.99 for a full license of the retail version. Users can shave off US$ 160 from the price tag if they own a previously licensed version. The package has a good share of features, including most of the core programs of the Office suite: Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition rolls as Microsoft's premiere Office for Mac package, costing up to US$ 499.99 for a full retail version. Users can get up to US$ 200 discount if they own a previously licensed version and decide to get the upgrade version instead. Aside from what the regular package offers, Media Edition carries extra tools and features for digital file management, including annotation and distribution of such content.

For the cautious business shopper, there could be another one of those "60-day trial" bundles for new Macs just like Office 2007, but no official word on that has been revealed by the company.

All for the pursuit of elegance and longer battery life: the new MacBook is rumored to be launched without an optical drive built-in, disorienting those who are used to the quite reassuring presence of the DVD (or CD) drive.

Why take out the DVD drive, though? The new MacBook will sport an ultra-thin package, so the bulky DVD drive has to be removed in order to accommodate the MacBook's diet plans. Battery life was also considered a factor, and it's quite obvious how the removal of an optical drive will boost a laptop's battery life. It may also make the MacBook more durable, with less moving parts in its innards.

If the removal of the DVD drive from the new MacBooks turn out to be true, it's going to cause a lot of commotion. People may lament the loss of the DVD drive, thinking about software installation and DVD burning. Don't fret: that's what the external optical drives are for.

Rumor has it that the entire MacBook line is going to be redesigned. The new units are said to be slimmer, faster, and generally better than its predecessors. Let's take a look at what Apple is said to be working on.

The standard MacBook's casing will be constructed from black and silver aluminum. The keyboards will be the standard Apple keyboards and will include a Biometric fingerprint reader for security. The track pad will be larger than previous models and is said to contain various "unusual" features. The best part of this whole deal is the fact that its price will be lowered so it can compete with the PC laptops.

Power users who opt to pick up the MacBook Pro will be treated to the same Black and Silver construction found in the MacBook. The units will come with the redesigned keyboards (backlit, of course), better battery life, and a 17-inch LED screen. Powering this monster will be Core 2 Extreme Mobile processors at 2.8 GHZ. If that's not enough, this laptop is said to also be sporting an NVIDIA GeForce 8600m GT at either 256 MB or 512 MB.

After looking at the specs, it really sounds too good to be true. But then, knowing Apple, it wouldn't be beyond them to be developing something as awesome as this under the radar. Hopefully, this rumor is true, because this blogger is already looking to replace his aging three year old laptop.

As former laptop market leader Dell continues to struggle, its rivals increase their momentum. Apple, in particular, has taken the initiative and is establishing itself as the likely new ruler of a growing industry.

Sales have continued to increase through the months as a 12 percent spike was noted in June. Reports from last month bring in more good news as a growth of 17 percent was observed.

"These results are great news for Apple, and they serve as powerful evidence that the 'halo effect' is indeed translating into real world Mac computer sales for Steve Jobs and company," says ChangeWare Research founder Tobin Smith.

In a survey of 3,665 respondents conducted by Smith's group, it was revealed that 28 percent of those who were planning to buy a PC within the next three months said that they'll get a Mac. Even more amazing is the fact that 23 percent said that they'll get a desktop Mac.

Smith says this spells a very bright future for Apple as it establishes itself as a more viable alternative to the PC. He also says that the iPhone can be a great tool to spruce up the "halo effect" that the company is enjoying.

In addition, the poll also showed that 86 percent of all people who purchased a Mac system in the past 90 days said that they were "very satisfied" with the product, in contrast to high dissatisfaction ratings for other manufacturers.