It’s unlikely that the white MacBook will be greatly missed. The iPad is a more economical solution for education users, and the MacBook Air is a more than worthy replacement for those who continue to prefer a clamshell laptop form factor. However, the MacBook’s termination does mark the end of the era of plastic-bodied Apple notebooks, which extends back to the original PowerBook 100 in 1991.

Although the MacBook has been dead since last July for consumers, it remained available as a cheap option for educational institutions…until now. Apple has just completely killed off the old Mac model. The company has now classified the white MacBook as “End of Life,” indicating it will no longer be produced or sold whatsoever. It is likely production for the MacBook stopped a while ago, and Apple made the move to only sell the MacBook to educational institutions in order to rid itself of the extra inventory.

The original 13″ aluminum unibody MacBook Pro form factor, which debuted as a plain MacBook in October 2008, is getting a bit long in the tooth. But sometimes they get things right on the first try. I would argue that the 13″ aluminum unibody is one of the best, if not the best, all-round Apple laptop design(s) ever. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

With my current MacBook closing in on its third birthday, it occurred to me the other day that it might be prudent to check out the condition of the battery. Happily, there are several utilities for doing that, and I downloaded a couple of freeware examples to check out their comparative usefulness, as well as that of the MacBook battery.

Hex doesn’t simply release new bags and sleeves, they release new lines of bags and sleeves. Such is the case with their Fleet Collection, a 12-piece laptop and tablet accessory line making its debut at CES 2012. Each Fleet bag features charcoal and white pinstripe canvas fabrication, custom-printed lining and contrasting tan genuine leather zipper pulls and leatherette trim detailing.

All current iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air models use Sandy Bridge processors. Currently, Intel is working on Ivy Bridge, the successor to Sandy Bridge, which is designed to be faster and use less power. While Ivy Bridge isn’t scheduled to be released until Q2 2012, there is already information being released, both officially and unofficially.

Rumors have been pointing to a higher resolution display in the iPad 3, set to arrive in spring of 2012. Now, word is surfacing the technology will propagate to the Apple’s Mac computers, as well. Reports from DigiTimes say Apple may have plans to incorporate into their MacBook Pros Retina Display-like resolutions of 2,880 x 1,800 (261ppi), starting at the very first few months of the Q2 in 2012.

Age of Enigma is coming soon to iPad, but wouldn’t rather play it now on your Mac? If you can’t make up your mind, try out Zombie Area, which is now available for both Mac and iOS Devices. The other announcements today are all Mac only, and include a couple of bundles, some special sales, and an app that can add 3D sound to your Macintosh.

Black Friday is over, and if you did things properly, you stayed at home played Mac games instead of shopping. If so, congratulate yourself with some more discounted Mac games! There are plenty more deals to take advantage of, with products ranging from USB drives to web development software to MacBooks and iMacs. Head inside for our roundup of OS X Cyber Monday deals, and check back often for updates.

Electronic retailers such as Best-Buy and Amazon got an early start this Black Friday, offering better deals than Apple’s Black Friday discounts. Amazon is offering up to $150 off Apple computers such as the 1.60GHz 11″ MacBook Air 64GB, for example, and Best Buy also has their share of Apple products on sale, including the iMac, iPad 2 and Apple TV. You’ve got just a couple hours left before Black Friday 2011 has passed you by, so get those orders in now to get significant savings on Apple products.