“We’ve tested the Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, the iMac, the Mac Mini, and the XServe. There’s not a bad Apple among the bunch, and some are truly superb. We’ll help you choose one that’s right for you,” Richard Hoffman reports for InformationWeek.
MacDailyNews Take: We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the question “Which Apple Mac should you pick?” is a welcome upgrade from what used to be “Should you pick an Apple Mac?”
Hoffman continues:
Maybe that most recent e-mail virus was the last straw. Maybe you’ve been longing for a computer that “just works” and that you actually look forward to using. Maybe Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Vista finally just sent you right around the bend. Perhaps it was that “Mac guy” on the commercials. Or maybe you are the “Mac guy.”
For whatever reason, you’ve decided to buy a new computer from Apple and want a little help sorting out the different models. Well, you’re in luck, because perhaps more than at any other time, Apple’s product lineup is clear, logical, and targeted at distinct types of users and uses. The entire product line is one of the strongest Apple’s ever had. Without hyperbole, it may be the best overall line of computers anyone has had, ever — there’s not a bad Apple among the bunch, and some are truly superb.
Plus, if you’re a PC guy or gal contemplating making the switch to the Mac world, the good news is that, if you have to, you can still use Windows on just about any new Mac. Parallel’s Desktop for Mac, VMWare’s Fusion virtualizer products, and Apple’s own included Boot Camp dual-boot enabler all allow Windows to run at native or near-native speed on your Mac. So, these days, your choice doesn’t have to be either-or, it can be both.
From design to function, from form to performance, you pretty much can’t go wrong with anything Apple is currently selling. We’ve tested them all in our labs over the past months, and they’re just that good. Read on and we’ll help you choose the right one.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dennis M.” for the heads up.]
Get an iMac.
When my friends asks me, I ask them two questions:
1) Do you want a desktop or a laptop?
2) How much do you want to spend? (Remember, you get what you pay for.)
Then I take their price, and match it up to the nearest equivalent priced computer. Voila. Oh, and I tell them to get the least amount of RAM possible from Apple, and to just buy it from a third party dealer.
I like Ram, Ram your ma ma ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
@ Bri: Yup, that’s exactly what I do, too.
I’ve never been sorry for having a macbook pro (at home connected to a 23 inch ADC). Price was not an issue, since the company paid.
I’ve several other (read: older) macs, still in use.
does it annoy you when people call them “Apple Macs”? it just doesn’t sound quite right… its a little redundant…
To MacLovin:
At least that’s better than “Mac should do this” as if “Mac” is the company or a person. Or even better, the MAC. Why are they shouting?
I want a compact desktop that I can upgrade in a couple years and add an extra hard drive to. Is that so much to ask?
I already have an iMac, PowerMac G5, Titanium Powerbook, and a MacBook Air.
Please oh please, Apple, give me another reason to buy!
how about the mac thats *REALLY good for games that costs less than $2000…………………………………… ?
for that matter less than $1500..
or $1000!!
wtf…
“how about the mac thats *REALLY good for games that costs less than $2000?”
It’s not a Mac but it’s pronounced play’ • stay • shun.
tt–buy a console, or better yet, get in a committed relationship.
Really.
Ampar! No Soup For You!
(dammit!)
I’m hoping to get a MacBook Pro in the next few weeks. Whilst I have an upgraded G4 Sawtooth tower that is 8 years old and still going strong, the versatility of a laptop outweighs the upgrade options of a desktop.
To bond co. stooge:
MacPro FTW. Insanely fast, built like a piece of art. Amazing computer.
First Mac I ever bought was a Mac Mini G4 when it came out.
I needed portability so I bought a 12 inch 1.2 Ghz iBook G4.
Then when the Core 2 Duo iMacs Came out, I went & bought one because I needed to bough windows from time to time in late 2006.
Now, I would love o have a Mac Pro so I can Upgrade it’s hard Drive, Optical Drive, & Video Card in the future but it’s too expensive for me. I like my iMac but I wish I could make it have a bigger screen which I can’t, I wish to upgrade the hard drive & video card which I personally can’t upgrade either.
I Also love my iBook G4 & it’s never left me stranded. But I would like to go for a Black MacBook or better yet a MacBook PRO with Matte screen. But bogged me down to stick with the iBook until it dies. Had it since mid 2005 & still going strong.
I still use the Mac Mini as a Backup.
If I were to Replace my entire setup later, it would be a Mac Pro with a Cinema Display & a MacBook Pro.
a con what? console??? HAHAHAHAHA
lemme know when any of the consoles can come close to the computational power of 2 geforce 8800s or 9800s and then I will get a console. when was the last time you saw a console at a 3000 person lanparty?
they need to make a more well rounded Mac.. soemthing with a standard hardrive (or 2) that takes a good graphics card that ISNT a macpro… I have an imac.. thats by far the best bang for the buck for a home machine.. but there is a missing mainstream mac.. performance users, gamers, or professional users that dont want to spend $2500 on a machine (not including monitors)
and I AM in a committed relationship.. I let my wife name the Mac.. how is that for committed!
think about it.. standard 2 pci express x16 slots for video, and 2 3.5″ hard drives and NO MONITOR…. PLEASE APPLE I BEG YOU TO MAKE THIS MACHINE. you could call it the “Mac” what a concept
tt…
Well, I was about to tell you to get a PS3… but you’ve got a point. ;^)
Apple SHOULD make a MID-range headless Mac for those of us who either don’t want the size or expense or complete overkill of a MacPro. For a full-blown machine, size is more of an issue.
Half the slots, half the drive bays, half the sheer SIZE (or less!!!) for about half the price. I call it the Half-MacPro.
People have been SCREAMING for this for years!
I’d buy one to augment my MacBook Pro in a goddam heartbeat.
It would be a great VectorWorks 2D/3D CAD machine.
Will we EVER see one? Keep screaming!
Apple Mac. For some reason this idiotic redundancy really pisses me off.
Its usually Brits that say it.
And Brits piss me off too.
Even though I used to be one before I escaped from the insane place they call Britain.
Apple Mac – like there is some other kind of Mac…..
‘Oh, you mean an Apple Mac – sorry we only have Toshiba Macs in this store.’
The other thing I REALLY hate is this belief that Apple ‘should’ make a computer thats cheap with no display, so people can attach a crappy display to it and undercut MacPro sales.
They listened to you whiners and made the Mac mini.
Now buy one and STFU.
‘But I want one with more slots/power/etc.’
So buy a Mac Pro.
‘But its too expensive’
Tough.
‘I want a girlfriend with big tits – the one I have is great but she has small tits’
Whats it like to want?
If you dont like what Apple offer, buy a frickin PC.
Buy a Mac- any Mac. They are all good.
Caveat 1-If you are a gamer, video editor or a photographer avoid the Vampire Video models (MacBook, MacBook Air, Mac mini).
Caveat 2- Load up on RAM, but don’t buy it from Apple as it will break your checkin account at about 4x the going rate for quality memory modules from Crucial or others.
Caveat 3- You can buy AppleCare up to 1 year after your purchase, so don’t skimp on your computer just to get AppleCare at the time of sale.
Suggestion 1- Buy a copy of Circus Ponies NoteBook. You can thank me later.
Suggestion 2- Unless you must, buy iWork instead of Office:Mac. Mellel is a great Word Processor for those who don;t need the Spreadsheet & Presentation apps.
Suggestion 3- If you do a lot of research give Devon Technologies DevonThink and DevonAgent a try. They are well worth the price.
Get a Mini and thank me later!
If money is not limited Apple Xserve.
“MacBook” and “Duh.”
If you’re someone who needs a different Mac than that, then you’re someone who already knows it.