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. If purchased directly from Apple, additional levels of specification customisation can be done at purchase.
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.
The current models on sale today are:
- Laptops: MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air.
- Desktops: Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Pro.
- Servers: Xserve.
MacBook
Base level consumer laptop. Last updated 20 October 2009.
Features:
- White 'unibody' polycarbonate case
- 13.3 inch LED backlit LCD screen
- Intel Core 2 Duo CPU at 2.26 GHz
- From 250 to 500 gb HDD
- From 2 to 4 gb DDR3 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU
- DVD writer
- Up to 7 hours battery life
- Built in webcam
- Multi-touch trackpad
- 802.11n WiFi & Bluetooth
- From $999 (US) or £749 (UK)
Pros:
- Solidly built for a plastic laptop
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Cheaper construction than aluminium MacBook Pros
- Battery not easily replaceable
- No Firewire connector
More info:
MacBook Pro
Last updated 8 June 2009.
Features:
- Slimline 'unibody' aluminium construction
- 13.3, 15.4, or 17 inch LED backlit LCD screen
- Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, at 2.26 to 3.06 GHz
- From 160 to 500 gb HDD, or upto 256 gb SSD
- From 2 to 8 gb DDR3 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT and/or 9400M GPUs
- DVD writer
- Up to 8 hours battery life
- Built in webcam
- Backlit keyboard
- Multi-touch trackpad
- 802.11n WiFi & Bluetooth
- From $1199 (US) or £899 (UK)
Pros:
- Quality, slimline, solid construction
- Excellent battery life
Cons:
- That build quality costs
- Battery not easily replaceable
More info:
- www.apple.com/macbookpro (UK)
- wikipedia.org/MacBook_Pro
- guides.macrumors.com/MacBook_Pro (buyer's guide)
MacBook Air
Highly portable subnotebook. Last updated 8 June 2009.
Features:
- Super-slimline 'unibody' aluminium case
- 13.3 inch LED backlit LCD screen
- Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, at 1.86 to 2.13 GHz
- 120 gb HDD or 128 gb SSD
- 2 gb DDR3 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU
- Built in webcam
- Up to 5 hours battery life
- Backlit keyboard
- Multi-touch trackpad
- 802.11n WiFi & Bluetooth
- From $1499 (US) or £1149 (UK)
Pros:
- Light (1.36 kg), super-slim (under 2cm), ultra portable
- Powerful for its size
- Uncompromised size screen and keyboard
Cons:
- Expensive compared to a MacBook
- No smaller footprint than a MacBook
- Non upgradable
- Non-user replaceable battery
- Few built in wired interfaces
- No built in optical drive
More info:
- www.apple.com/macbookair (UK)
- wikipedia.org/MacBook_air
- guides.macrumors.com/MacBook_Air (buyer's guide)
Mac Mini
Budget level desktop micro PC. Last updated 20 October 2009.
Features:
- Micro PC form factor (6½ × 6½ × 2 inches)
- Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, at 2.26 to 2.66 GHz
- From 160 to 1 tb HDD
- From 2 to 4 gb DDR3 RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU
- DVD writer
- 802.11n WiFi & Bluetooth
- From $599 (US) or £499 (UK) (excluding monitor, keyboard, and mouse)
Pros:
- The cheapest way to go Mac
- Includes all the niceties of the higher end models as standard
- Choose your own monitor
- Low power consumption
Cons:
- Built from laptop parts
- Difficult internal user upgradability
- Price excludes cost of monitor, keyboard, and mouse
More info:
iMac
All-in-one integrated consumer desktop. Last updated 20 October 2009.
Features:
- Compact, integrated design in anodized aluminium
- 21.5 or 27 inch LED backlit LCD screen
- Choice of Intel Core 2 Duo (dual core), i5 or i7 (quad core) CPUs at 2.66 to 3.33 GHz
- From 500 gb to 2 tb hard disk
- From 4 to 16 gb DDR3 RAM
- Choice of NVIDIA or ATI GPUs
- DVD writer
- Built in webcam
- Wireless keyboard & mouse
- 802.11n wifi & Bluetooth
- From $1199 (US) or £949 (UK)
Pros:
- Small desk footprint
- Sturdy, handsome design
- High end models very powerful
- Excellent quality, integrated widescreen monitor
Cons:
- Limited internal upgradability
More info:
Mac Pro
Professional workstation tower. Last updated 3 March 2009.
Features:
- Anodized aluminium tower case
- Intel Xeon 'Nehalem' CPUs of 4 or 8 cores, at 2.26 to 2.93 GHz
- Up to 4 terabytes of HDD storage
- Up to 32 gigabytes of DDR3 ECC RAM
- Choice of NVIDIA or ATI graphics cards
- Up to 2 DVD writers
- From $2499 (US) or £1899 (UK) excluding monitor
Pros:
- Immensely powerful
- Oozes quality craftsmanship
- Simple modular upgradability
Cons:
- Professional workstation 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:
CPU – Central processing unit. Effectively the 'brain' of a computer.
GHz – Gigahertz. A measure of frequency, where 1 GHz equals 1 billion hertz. In this context, effectively a measure of the CPU's 'heartbeat'.
Core 2 Duo – Brand of Intel dual-core CPUs, as used in most Mac models.
Core i5 & Core i7 – Brands of Intel quad-core CPUs, as used in mid to high end desktop computers. 'Nehalem' architecture.
Xeon – Intel's most powerful brand of CPU. Used mainly in workstation and server class computers.
LCD – Liquid crystal display. As used in flat panel computer monitor screens.
LED – Light emitting diode. Used to provide the backlighting for LCD screens. More power efficient than older, cheaper CCFL backlighting.
HDD – Hard disk drive. Long term storage device.
SSD – Solid state drive. Similar to a HDD, but uses memory chips as opposed to magnetic spinning platters. Faster and more power efficient than a HDD, but pricier.
RAM – Random access memory. A computer's temporary workspace.
GB & TB – Gigabytes & terabytes. A measure of memory capacity, where 1 GB equals approx 1 billion characters (bytes) or 8½ billion binary digits (bits), and 1 TB equals 1024 GB.
DDR3 – 3rd generation of double data rate RAM. Basically faster and pricier than the previous generation DDR2.
ECC – Error correcting code. A ability for bit errors to be automatically corrected. Mainly used in the RAM of mission-critical computer systems.
GPU – Graphics processing unit.
NVIDIA & ATI – Brands of graphics hardware used in Mac computers.
GeForce 9400M & 9600M GT – Models of NVIDIA graphics chipsets, as used in most Mac models. The 9600M GT being the faster of the two
802.11n – 4th generation of wireless networking (Wi-Fi). Basically faster than the previous generation 802.11g. Called 'AirPort' on Apple computers.
Bluetooth – Short range wireless networking. Used mainly in portable devices.
Firewire – High speed wired interface. Used mainly in digital video and high-end audio editing.
