Apple has silently updated the white $999 MacBook. The notebook now has a 2.13GHz processor instead of the 2.0GHz of the previous model, a 40GB jump in hard drive capacity to 160GB, and the RAM is now 800MHz DDR2 instead of 667MHz.

In addition to the MacBook updates, Apple has also announced this years back to school promotion. The promo isn’t any different than years prior, college students and college/K-12 faculty who purchase a qualifying Mac (excludes refurbished Macs and the Mac mini) will also be able to get a free iPod.

You won’t be able to get any iPod for free, and the rebates are different depending on what iPod you purchase, here’s the details:

• $229 rebate on an iPod touch
• $229 rebate on iPod classic
• $199 rebate on a 16GB iPod nano
• $149 rebate on an 8GB iPod nano
• $79 rebate on an iPod shuffle

I’ve taken advantage of this opportunity two out of the last three years and have learned a little bit about how to get the most from this promotion. Apple usually offers you $100 off select printers when you buy a Mac, you might as well buy one. You’ll end up just paying the sales tax on a great printer, and besides all you need to do is buy one Mac to qualify for a free printer… and an iPod. Also, find out exactly when the promotion ends (I’ve seen October 8 as the end date), and wait until late September to purchase your new computer. This is when new iPods usually get released, and in years past Apple offered the same rebates on the new models for the window of time that the promotion is still going on (this way you won’t get stuck with the old model right before the new ones come out).

Of course, this isn’t an instant rebate, you’ll have to pay full price up front. But if ou want to get your rebate back quicker Apple makes it pretty easy, you can submit your rebate online and you will get the rebate a few days earlier than if you mailed it in.