Choosing the right Mac for you

The MacBook Air is a step up from the MacBook. There are more options to choose from, more connectivity options, more battery life on the bigger version, and yet this comes in at a cheaper price.

Here are the models:

11-inch MacBook Air

• 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 LED-backlit display
• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor
• 128GB of PCI-express storage
• 4GB of RAM
• Intel HD 6000 graphics
• 2 x USB 3, Thunderbolt 2
• Weighs in at 2.38lb
• 9-hour battery life

Price:

• 128GB model: Starting at $899, to $1,149 fully upgraded (processor and RAM upgrade)
• 256GB model: Starting at $999, to $1,649 fully upgraded (processor, RAM and storage upgrade)

13-inch MacBook Air

• 13.3-inch 1440 x 900 LED-backlit display
• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor
• 4GB of RAM
• Intel HD 6000 graphics
• 2 x USB 3, Thunderbolt 2, SDXC
• Weighs in at 2.96lb
• 12-hour battery life

Price:

• 128GB model: Starting at $1,099, to $1,249 fully upgraded (processor and RAM upgrade)
• 258GB model: Starting at $1,199, to $1,749 fully upgraded (processor, RAM and storage upgrade)

The MacBook Air is ideal for: General-purpose computing. Small screen favour portability, but the larger screen allows the owner to get more done. The Core i7 processor allows this diminutive system to pack quite a punch. Also, the Air is Apple's cheapest portable system.

We're now into the realm of a portable system that offers desktop levels of performance. These systems can handle pretty much anything you care to throw at them.

13-inch MacBook Pro

• 13.3-inch 1280 x 800 LED-backlit display
• 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• 4GB of RAM
• Intel HD 4000 graphics
• 500GB hard drive (SSD upgrades available)
• 2 x USB 3, Thunderbolt, FireWire, Ethernet, SDXC, and optical drive
• Weighs in at 4.5lb
• 7-hour battery life

Price:

• Starting at $1,099, to $1,999 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, and storage upgrade)

13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

There are three models:

• 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with 128GB of PCI-express storage
• 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with 256GB of PCI-express storage
• 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with 512GB of PCI-express storage

Apart from these differences, they are identical:

• 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600 LED-backlit display
• 8GB of RAM
• Intel Iris 6100 graphics
• Force Touch trackpad
• 2 x USB 3, 2 x Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, SDXC
• Weighs in at 3.48lb
• 10-hour battery life

Price:

• Starting at $1,299, to $2,699 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, and storage upgrade)

15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

There are two models:

• 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 256GB of PCI-express storage Intel Iris Pro graphics
• 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 512GB of PCI-express storage and combination Intel Iris Pro and AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics

Apart from these differences, they are identical:

• 15.4-inch 2880 x 1800 LED-backlit display
• 16GB of RAM
• Intel Iris 6100 graphics
• Force Touch trackpad
• 2 x USB 3, 2 x Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, SDXC
• Weighs in at 4.49lb
• 9-hour battery life

Price:

• Starting at $1,999, to $3,199 fully upgraded (processor and storage upgrade)

The MacBook Pro is ideal for: Users who want a portable system that offers desktop levels of performance, and where portability isn't high on the agenda.

Apple's premier desktop offering. Power, performance, and an awesome display, all in one sleek package.

iMac 21.5-inch

There are three models:

• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 6000
• 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200
• 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200

Apart from these differences, they are identical:

• 21.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LED-backlit display
• 8GB of RAM
• 1TB hard drive
• 4 x USB 3, 2 x Thunderbolt 2, Ethernet, SDXC

Price:

• Starting at $1,099, to $1,928 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, storage and peripheral upgrade)

iMac 27-inch

There are three models:

• 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 1TB hard drive and AMD Radeon R9 M380 graphics
• 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 1TB Fusion drive and AMD Radeon R9 M390 graphics
• 3.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with 2TB Fusion drive and AMD Radeon R9 M395 graphics

Apart from these differences, they are identical:

• 27-inch 5120 x 2880 LED-backlit display
• 8GB of RAM
• 4 x USB 3, 2 x Thunderbolt 2, Ethernet, SDXC

Price:

• Starting at $1,799, to $4,228 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, storage and peripheral upgrade)

The iMac is ideal for: Ideal replacement for a PC and where portability isn't a factor.

Apple's monster workstation Mac. These systems can handle anything you care to throw at them!

Quad-core

• 3.7GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5
• 12GB of RAM
• Dual AMD FirePro D300 graphics
• 256GB PCI-express storage
• 4 x USB 3, 6 x Thunderbolt 2, 2 x Ethernet, HDMI

Price:

• Starting at $2,999, to $4,228 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, storage and peripheral upgrade)

6-core

• 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5
• 16GB of RAM
• Dual AMD FirePro D500 graphics
• 256GB PCI-express storage
• 4 x USB 3, 6 x Thunderbolt 2, 2 x Ethernet, HDMI

Price:

• Starting at $3,999, to $9,728 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, storage and peripheral upgrade)

The Mac Pro is ideal for: Those who want the ultimate OS X workstation.

Apple's smallest Mac.

1.4GHz Mac mini

• 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• 4GB of RAM
• 500GB hard drive
• Intel HD Graphics 5000

2.6GHz Mac mini

• 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• 8GB of RAM
• 1TB hard drive
• Intel Iris Graphics

2.8GHz Mac mini

• 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
• 8GB of RAM
• 1TB Fusion drive
• Intel Iris Graphics

Price:

• Starting at $499, to $2,199 fully upgraded (processor, RAM, and storage upgrade)

The Mac mini is ideal for: Those who want a small desktop Mac without the huge displays. Ideal for those upgrading from Windows PCs had have their own monitor and peripherals. Apple's cheapest desktop system.