You ’ve study the new rules for grease one’s palms a Mac . You ’ve weighed whether to get a laptop or a background . And you ’re finally quick to supply that fresh Mac to your holiday shopping list .
But before you maneuver to the computer storage , be it brick - and - trench mortar or online , do you really be intimate about all the pick before you ? To help you make the correct decision , we ’ve put together summary of each case of Mac on the mart today — bothlaptopsanddesktops . Our summaries will separate you when each Mac model was last updated , what change , and how it perform . We ’ve also included nexus to both our full reviews of each organisation as well as cock for avail you find the best price .
Happy hunting .
The latest Macbook, updated in October
MacBook
In the October overhaul of its laptop computer lineup , Apple stick in changes to both the national and exterior of its MacBooks that blur the seam between these consumer - oriented laptop computer and the higher - end MacBook Pro models . Like the MacBook Pro , the MacBook now sport an all - metal unibody enclosure with a large glass trackpad and an go - backlit display . As part of the redesign , the MacBooks now feature a Mini DisplayPort connector , loose up more distance on the outside and inside of the laptop computer . The new MacBook invention does not include any FireWire port wine — only two USB 2.0 port wine — so users with a heap of FireWire - based peripherals may want to consider another model .
The late Macbook , updated in October
On the inside , Apple upped the graphics force of the MacBook by replacing the integrated Intel graphics processor with an Nvidia GeForce 9400 G chipset .
Like the MacBook, the October upgrade to the MacBook Pro introduced a unibody design.
Configurations : The unibody MacBooks come in two configurations : a 2GHz Core 2 twain model with a 160 GB hard drive for $ 1,299 ( Get Best Current Price ) and a 2.4GHz Core 2 twosome exemplar with a 250 GB hard drive for $ 1,599 ( Get Best Current Price ) . The 2.4GHz also come with an illuminated keyboard .
In add-on , Apple has keep around one of the older MacBook designs — a white plastic suit power by a 2.1GHz Core 2 couple processor that ’s otherwise unchanged from the previous iteration of MacBooks . This 2.1GHz MacBook — which retain the FireWire port — sells for $ 999 ( Get Best Current Price . )
How they perform : The improvements to graphics in the latest MacBooks have bolstered the operation of these fashion model , particularly in the area of games . The Nvidia GeForce 9400 yard graphics in the MacBooks still shares memory board with the arrangement tup as did the Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor in earlier MacBooks . But the GeForce9400 M has its own computer graphic processing unit and shares 256 Mbit of loyal DDR3 SDRAM with the primary remembering , as react to 144 MB of DDR2 SDRAM in the previous system .
Only modest changes marked the October update to the MacBook Air.
The bottom line : These MacBooks do markedly well than their predecessors . And as our recent MacBook bench mark found , performance approaches that of a miserable - end MacBook Pro .
What we think : The latest MacBooks are a bountiful improvement over the premature models — as long as you may live on without a FireWire port . While battery life was n’t as strong as the former model , the sleek new case design , major nontextual matter improvements , power - sipping LED display , and Multi - Touch glass trackpad make the MacBook a very strong upgrade . Read ourcomplete - critical review of the new MacBooks .
MacBook Pro
Like the MacBook , the October upgrade to the MacBook Pro introduced a unibody design .
As with the revamped MacBooks , Apple ’s October MacBook Pro update introduced the unibody enclosure and methamphetamine hydrochloride trackpad to the 15 - in configurations of the professional laptop . Both 15 - inch MacBook Pros feature glossy displays . On the interior , they now sport two graphical chipsets — an Nvidia GeForce 9400 M embedded on the motherboard and a distinct Nvidia GeForce 9600M.
There ’s also a 17 - inch MacBook Pro that retain the natural enclosure from the previous generation of laptops . The principal changes to this model focus on its presentation ( it now features a aboriginal settlement of 1,920 - by-1,200 in either glossy or matte shape ) , the amount of installed computer storage ( 4 GB instead of 2 GB ) , and the size of the arduous drive ( 320 GB , up from 250 GB ) .
The Mac mini and its included remote
Configurations : The 17 - column inch MacBook Pro , powered by a 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo central processing unit , costs $ 2,799 ( Get Best Current Price ) . ( Users can upgrade to a 2.6GHz chip for an extra $ 250 . )
For the 15 - inch theoretical account , a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro with a 250 GB hard parkway costs $ 1,999 ( Get Best Current Price ) , while the 2.53GHz system with its 320 GB strong thrust sells for $ 2,499 ( Get Best Current Price ) .
How they perform : Our MacBook Pro benchmark feel that the 2.53GHz MacBook Pro is the fast stock configuration Mac portable ever tested by Macworld Lab . This high - end MacBook Pro top the Speedmark score of the former top - of - the - short letter configuration by 16 percent .
The latest generation of aluminum iMacs comes in two sizes—20- or 24-inches.
That said , the operation gap between the consumer and professional Mac laptops has narrow down , as we noted above . After this latest round of laptop computer update , the MacBook - vs.-MacBook Pro decision leans less toward execution and more toward feature article and expandability versus size of it and weight .
What we think : The MacBook Pro ’s raw design and its features definitely come out on the positive side of the ledger , with some great aesthetic and engineering science improvements to recommend it — not the least of which is the significant attention paid to environmental issues — at precisely the same Leontyne Price as the previous model . However the compulsory glossy screen may be a hand killer for some the great unwashed , and the thin battery life from the former model ( harmonize to our testing ) is a discouraging maturation . Read ourcomplete - review of the raw MacBook Pros .
MacBook Air
Only small changes marked the October update to the MacBook Air .
Introduced to much fanfare at the commencement of 2008 , the MacBook Air underwent an fall upgrade along with the residue of Apple ’s laptop line . The changes to the airwave are n’t quite as striking as the other MacBook models , which feature solely new enclosures . ( The only external change from the original MacBook Air is a Mini DisplayPort connection , replacing the Mini DVI port . ) But the intimate change are significant .
Like the other laptops , the Air switches to an Nvidia GeForce 9400 M graphics chipset to rage up performance . Apple up the storage capacity of the MacBook Air ’s punishing disk drive by 40 GB while replicate the capacity of the solid - country drive alternative . While the earlier MacBook Air boast a Parallel ATA crusade , this updated version uses a Serial ATA manakin . C.P.U. speeds are unchanged .
It’s been nearly a year since Apple updated the Mac Pro.
Configurations : When the MacBook Air debut in January , Apple offer up just one received conformation . With October ’s refresh , the former build - to - order configuration is now an prescribed offering , reach you two MacBook Airs from which to choose .
The first is a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo - powered machine with a 120 GB Serial ATA hard drive for $ 1,799 ( Get Best Current Price ) . The other model sport a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo chip and a 128 GB solid - state gruelling drive ; it cost $ 2,499 ( Get Best Current Price ) .
How they do : As this article was posted , we ’ve still only been able-bodied to get our hands on the 1.86GHz example for testing and recapitulation . Our 1.86GHz MacBook Air benchmarks found that many of the under - the - toughie improvements in the update portable have bolster up performance — specially when compared to the original MacBook Air and its Intel graphics — this is still a machine you buy for its small size of it and weight unit . It simply ca n’t equalize the speeds of either the MacBook or MacBook Pro .
What we think : With increased storage space and improved performance , the latest MacBook Air is definitely an advance upon the original exit . And if you value the nimbleness of your laptop over its performance — and do n’t mind pay off up for ultra - portability — the Air remains a compelling buy . But with the changes to the MacBook line , there ’s a faster , cheaper , almost equally attractive model available that weighs only 1.5 pounds more than the Air . show ourcomplete - review of the 1.86GHz MacBook Air .
Mac mini
The Mac mini and its included remote control
It ’s sluttish to overleap the Mac miniskirt . The small , display - innocent desktop auto has buy the farm the longest of any Mac without an update — almost a class - and - a - one-half since Apple softly updated its low - destruction system by shift to the Core 2 Duo processor . The absence of an update fuels the periodic rumor that Apple ’s about to quit the production . And yet , the mini is still here .
A more urgent business organization for would - be mini vendee is whether Apple plans to end the rise drought , perhaps follow out with newfangled machines powered by more up - to - date processor . Still , shoppers expect for a introductory desktop offering that wo n’t take a pungency out of their wallets would do well to consider this compendious alternative .
contour : The Mac mini come in two example — a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo simple machine with an 80 GB heavy drive or a 2GHz Core 2 Duo arrangement with a 120 GB hard parkway . That $ 799 2GHz Mac miniskirt ( Get Best Current Price ) also comes with a slot - loading SuperDrive ; the $ 599 1.83GHz model ( Get Best Current Price ) boast a DVD - ROM / CD - RW Combo drive .
Each mini ships with an Apple Remote and a force cord . You append the mouse , keyboard , display , and any other peripheral .
How they do : The addition of Core 2 Duo processors assist the Mac mini Emily Post gains in the central processing unit - intensive tests we ladder in our August 2007 benchmark . It ’s worth noting that since that time , every other Mac that use a Core 2 Duo processor — the iMac and all of Apple ’s laptops — have switched to the next - coevals version of the Core 2 Duo chip . Code - named Penryn , that version of the Core 2 couplet packs on more shared L2 cache and is more energy effective . With the mini still powered by the earlier - coevals Core 2 Duos , performance lags behind the Penryn - based systems . Still , with the Mac miniskirt , it ’s price , not performance , that usually drive the purchasing decision .
What we retrieve : Despite the long lag between updates , the Mac miniskirt remains a heavy bargain , especially for those who already own a mouse , keyboard , and display . Its size of it and cost allow it to fit into spaces and budget that other Macs can not . While the 2GHz framework is the top performing artist of the two , if videodisk burning is n’t something you take , the 1.83GHz Mac mini still gives a lot of bang for the buck . Read ourcomplete - followup of the Mac mini models .
iMac
The latest contemporaries of aluminum iMacs come in two sizes—20- or 24 - in .
The iMac see an update at the end of April , with Apple upgrading the processor to the next - generation Penryn chips , increasing the amount of RAM that ship with two of the three configurations , and bumping the upper of the frontside bus to 1,066MHz . The fellowship also gave 24 - inch iMac shoppers the option of upgrading the stock ATI Radeon HD 2600 graphics processor to an Nvidia GeForce 8800GS with 512 MB of memory . Additionally , exploiter could opt to upgrade to a 3.06GHz processor — the first metre a Mac aimed at consumer topped the 3GHz sucker .
The iMac had always been an ideal all - in - one system for consumer . With these changes , it ’s an increasingly attractive choice for professional users who do n’t needs need the expandability of the Mac Pro .
Configurations : Apple bid three iMac models — two systems with a 20 - in screen and a undivided 24 - inch conformation . All three iMacs feature an 8X videodisk - cauterise SuperDrive .
The entry - level 20 - in iMac boast a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor , 250 GB surd crusade , 1 GB of installed RAM , and ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT graphic . It costs $ 1,199 ( Get Best Current Price ) . The other 20 - in iMac runs on a 2.66GHz appendage and ships with 2 GB of RAM , and a 320 GB hard drive . It features ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro graphics and costs $ 1,499 ( Get Best Current Price ) .
The 24 - column inch iMac feature the same hard drive , installed memory , and graphics as the 2.66GHz 20 - inch model ( with the option of upgrade to the Nvidia graphics batting order ) . It sport a 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo processor and sells for $ 1,799 ( Get Best Current Price ) .
How they execute : Our iMac benchmarks find that the incoming - stage 2.4GHz iMac put away more or less behind an old iMac with the same mainframe speed , though the latter ’s large difficult driveway and better graphics card skew the termination . When compared to a 2GHz iMac — the theoretical account it in reality replaced — the new 2.4GHz machine make out much good .
We also tested the build - to - order 3.06GHz iMac and found that its carrying into action approached the swiftness of a standard Mac Pro contour .
What we opine : The iMacs discharge by Apple this past spring are degraded than old model , but without any increment in cost . On the downside , our one major complaint about the first - coevals Al iMac — the poor viewing slant for the two-20 - column inch model — hasn’t been addressed . Still , the iMac extend enough feature to appeal to both cosmopolitan consumers and professional . And the-2.8GHz iMac is a sensational machine in all its 24 - inch glory . Read our consummate reassessment of the iMac job .
Mac Pro
It ’s been nearly a yr since Apple updated the Mac Pro .
The Mac mini is n’t the only Mac that has gone without an update for some time ; it ’s been nearly a class since the January 2008 release of an updated Mac Pro . That upgrade replaced the professional screen background ’s two dual - core 2.66GHz Xeon chips with a pair of quad - core central processing unit . Other changes include a bigger hard drive , more set up RAM ( not to mention double the RAM capacity ) , and a newfangled graphics carte du jour .
configuration : There ’s just one standard conformation — a $ 2,799 organization ( Get Best Current Price ) feature two 2.8GHz quad - core Xeon processors , ATI Radeon 2600 XT graphics , a 320 GB , 7,200 - rpm hard drive , 16X SuperDrive , and support for up t0 32 GB of RAM .
Oh , but the build - to - order options — Mac Pro substance abuser can prefer for two 3.0 or 3.2GHz quad - core processor or they can downgrade to a single 2.8GHz quad - core ship . The Mac Pro offers a multitude of nontextual matter options , including the ability to install up to four ATI Radeon HD 2600 crosstalk graphics cards . you’re able to choose for anywhere from 500 GB to 1 TB of entrepot in each of the Mac Pro ’s four hard - cause bays . And if one SuperDrive is n’t enough , you could always ask Apple to install a second one . ( TheMac Pro tech specs page at Apple.comhas an extensive list of the many build - to - monastic order option at your electric pig . )
These options will aim up the toll tag . One organisation we tested featured two 3.2GHz quadriceps femoris - core central processing unit , 8 GB of RAM , an upgraded Nvidia GeForce 8800GT graphics board , and four SAS drives in a RAID 0 configuration . Total toll : $ 9,949 .
How it performs : In our initial tests of the received Mac Pro shape , we found that it was notably libertine than the four - centre 2.6GHz mannikin it replaced and virtually as flying as a previous - generation eight - core 3GHz Mac Pro . We also tested several build - to - edict Mac Pros with trial to show how memory , knockout drive , and computer graphic upgrade pretend Mac Pro carrying out .
What we think : If you only require the immobile Mac you ’ve ever used , the stand - manakin Mac Pro Eight - Core 2.8GHz wo n’t let down . If you ’re a capacity - creating professional who needs your video recording , audio frequency , and or see workstation to fulfill its true electric potential , you may also opt to spend the extra cash to upgrade your new Mac Pro ’s CPU focal ratio , warehousing and RAM . scan ourcompletereview of the Mac Pro .
[ Philip Michaels is the executive editor of Macworld.com . ]
