"Which Mac?"

Buyers guide to the current Macintosh range

Go to: First reason / What is a Mac? / Why a Mac? / Try a Mac / Index

So you're thinking of buying a Macintosh computer are you? Well, if you insist... I suppose the question now is, "Which one?"

The Macintosh range is not large, certainly compared to the combined ranges of every other PC manufacturer that makes up the Windows PC platform. As such, your choice will be limited. But on the plus side of that, your choice should be a very simple one, as is becoming of the Mac ethos.

Currently, there are 6 models in the Macintosh range – 3 laptop models and 3 desktop models – each configurable with various different levels of specification.

No doubt you'll have looked at Apple's website (UK), and maybe checked out various other Internet based resources at what specifications they offer. The intention of this page is to take a brief summary look at these models, and a brief (and sometimes arguable) look at any comparable pros and cons.

Note: To reiterate, when comparing Mac models with models from other manufacturers, don't forget to compare like with like. A "budget" model Mac for instance, often will not be fully specification or build comparable with a "budget" model from another manufacturer. For instance, the lowest level of processor in a Mac, will likely the kind of which you'd find in the mid-range from most other manufacturers.
See reason 3; 'Macs are too expensive' for more of a look at this often touted misconception.

Laptops

There are three models of Mac laptop; generally speaking, a consumer model, a professional model, and a subnotebook. While there are pre-set specification available off the shelf, if purchased directly from Apple, each model's basic specification is customisable at purchase.

MacBook – The consumer level Mac laptop

Features:

Slimline polycarbonate case in white or black
13.3 inch screen
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, from 2.1GHz to 2.4GHz
800MHz front side bus
From 120gb to 250gb hard disk
From 1gb to 4gb RAM
Intel graphics processor
Built in webcam
'Combo' drive or DVD writer
From around $1099 (US) or £699 (UK)

Pros:

Compact and highly portable
Comparatively simple basic upgradability

Cons:

Graphics hardware unsuitable for 3D work, including games
No DVD writer on bottom range model

More info:

MacBook Pro – Professional level laptop

Features:

Slimline anodized aluminium case
15.4 or 17 inch, LED backlit screen
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, from 2.4GHz to 2.6GHz
800MHz front side bus
From 200gb to 300gb hard disk
From 2gb to 4gb RAM
NVIDIA graphics processor
Built in webcam
DVD writer
From around $1999 (US) or £1299 (UK)

Pros:

Desktop level power
Slim yet sturdy construction

Cons:

Professional level cost
Can get hot on the lap

More info:

MacBook Air – Subnotebook

Features:

Super-slimline anodized aluminium case
13.3 inch, LED backlit screen
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1.6GHz to 1.8GHz
800MHz front side bus
80gb hard disk or 64gb solid-state drive
2gb RAM
Intel graphics processor
Built in webcam
From around $1799 (US) or £1199 (UK)

Pros:

Light (1.36 kg), super-slim (under 2cm), ultra portable
Powerful for its size
Large screen and keyboard for its weight

Cons:

Expensive compared to MacBook
No smaller footprint than a Macbook
Non upgradable
Non-user replaceable battery
Few built in wired interfaces
No built in optical drive
Graphics hardware unsuitable for 3D work, including games

More info:

Desktops

There are three models of Mac desktop; generally speaking, the "budget" or lower consumer level model, the upper consumer level model, and the professional workstation model. While there are pre-set specifications available off the shelf, if purchased directly from Apple, each model's basic specification is customisable at purchase.

Mac Mini – The 'budget' level model

Features:

Micro PC form factor (6½ × 6½ × 2 inches)
Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1.86GHz to 2.0GHz
From 80gb to 160gb hard disk
From 1gb to 2gb RAM
Intel graphics processor
'Combo' drive or DVD writer
From around $599 (US) or £399 (UK) excluding monitor, keyboard, and mouse

Pros:

The cheapest way to go Mac
All the niceties as standard, e.g. Core 2 Duo, remote control, wifi, iLife
Choose your own monitor

Cons:

Laptop hard drive inherently slow and small capacity
Difficult internal user expandability
Graphics hardware unsuitable for 3D work, including games
No DVD writer on bottom range model
A cheaper, lower spec model could attract more to the brand

More info:

iMac – The upper consumer level model ^{Recently updated}

Features:

Compact, integrated design in anodized aluminium
20 or 24 inch screen
Intel Core 2 Duo or Extreme processor, from 2.4GHz to 3.06GHz
1066MHz front side bus
From 250gb to 1tb hard disk
From 1gb to 4gb RAM
ATI or nVidia graphics processors
Built in webcam
DVD writer
From around $1199 (US) or £799 (UK)

Pros:

Small desk footprint
Sturdy, handsome design
Good quality, integrated widescreen monitor

Cons:

Limited internal upgradability

More info:

Mac Pro – The professional level workstation

Features:

Anodized aluminium tower case
Intel Xeon processors of 4 or 8 cores, from 2.8GHz to 3.2GHz
1.6GHz front side bus
Up to 4 terabytes of hard disk storage
Up to 32 gigabytes of RAM
Choice of graphics cards from ATI or NVIDIA
Up to 2 DVD writers
From around $2299 (US) or £1429 (UK) excluding monitor

Pros:

Immensely powerful
Oozes quality craftsmanship
Simple modular upgradability

Cons:

Professional level cost

More info:

Servers

In addition to the Macintosh range of PCs, there's also the Xeon powered Xserve rack mounting server. While not strictly speaking a Macintosh, just like a Macintosh, it does have similar Intel architecture, and runs OS X Server.

More info:

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Page content last updated 29/3/2008