New MacBook design in store this year?

Apple might be set to overhaul the design of its flagship notebooks later this year, according to a report.

AppleInsider believes that the MacBook and the MacBook Pro are due for a face-lift, but doesn't provide specific timing for the new rollout. If Apple follows through, the MacBook will get the most significant overhaul, moving from a plastic chassis to an aluminum one that's already in place on the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac computers.

It would make sense for Apple to have a common bill of materials for its notebook line, and to have all the Macs look more or less the same. The substance of the design tweaks aren't clear from the report, although it does say that "thin-is-in" techniques used to great aesthetic effect on the MacBook Air will be part of the new design.

It's also expected that the new notebooks will use Intel's Montevina notebook technology when they arrive, although that would be a quick turnaround from the Penryn notebooks Apple released earlier this year. And this would also be a likely time for Apple to add the multitouch trackpad found on the MacBook Air and newest MacBook Pros to the regular MacBook.