5 MacBook Updates That Will Turn Apple Partners' Heads

New MacBook Upgrades

Apple on Tuesday unveiled an updated 12-inch MacBook touting improvements in exterior color options, storage and performance. The MacBook is now available in a new finish -- rose gold -- and boasts better processors for a boost in performance as well as faster flash storage, faster graphics and longer battery life.

Apple's MacBook sales continue to gain momentum in an otherwise declining notebook market. According to a February report by research firm TrendForce, Apple was the fourth-largest notebook manufacturer worldwide in 2015, with 10.34 percent market share (up from 9.3 percent market share in 2014).

The upgraded MacBook will be available through select Apple Authorized Resellers starting Wednesday, according to Apple, and will start at $1,299. Following are five things resellers should know about Apple's newest MacBook.

Faster Skylake Processors

Apple may have turned heads with its new rose gold MacBook option, but some of its most significant upgrades for the notebook are internal -- including equipping the MacBook with new, faster processors.

The updated MacBook features sixth-generation dual-core Intel Core M processors (including Core m3, m5 and m7 CPUs), which clock up to 1.3 GHz and are based on Intel's Skylake architecture. The original MacBooks ran on Intel's fifth-generation Broadwell architecture.

The processors come with an integrated Intel HD Graphics 515 GPU that Apple says will deliver up to 25 percent faster graphics performance.

Better Storage

Apple has amped up the storage capacities for its upgraded MacBook, revealing that 8 GB, or 1866 MHz RAM, is now standard across the MacBook line. Before, the standard configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Air was 4 GB. In addition, the company touts faster storage in its new MacBook, which is now up to 512GB PCIe-based solid state drive. The faster PCIe-based flash storage should help user tasks feel snappier, from launching apps to opening files.

Battery Life

In addition to polishing performance, Apple has beefed up the battery life of its MacBook with a 41.5 Whr Li-ion battery. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company claims that its upgraded MacBook offers up to 10 hours of wireless Web browsing and 11 hours of iTunes movie playback -- an hour of battery life over its predecessor.

With more battery life, Apple appears to be targeting the mobile workforce -- employees who need a thin, light device to carry around that has the battery capacity to last over long periods without a charge.

"Customers are going to love this update to MacBook, with the latest processors, faster graphics, faster flash storage, longer battery life and a beautiful rose gold finish," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

MacBook Still Needs More Ports

While Apple promised better battery life and storage for its upgraded MacBook, the company missed one important feature that partners and customers think benefit its notebook lineup: more ports.

The MacBook still contains just one USB Type-C port for power, data and video output, and it does not support Thunderbolt 3 as some rumors had suggested.

MacBook Pricing

Apple's MacBook, which is powered by OS X El Capitan, starts at $1,299 for the version with a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor and Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.2 GHz, 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of flash storage.

The MacBook pricing goes up to $1,599 for the MacBook with a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Core m5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.7 GHz, 8 GB of memory and 512 GB of flash storage.