Overview

Entry level Mac aimed at personal or home use but very suitable for work/business use for all but the most demanding applications. Very stylish all-in-one design looks stunning and takes up the minimum space – the whole thing is contained in the display so there are no nasty boxes under the desk! The display has LED backlighting and a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio making the picture exceptionally sharp and bright and perfect for HD video. It’s available up to 27″ which is ideal for organising your workspace and having lots of windows open at once, or alternatively it’s great for watching TV or video. That’s not to trivialise it’s considerable abilities as a professional machine for business use but this is also a great machine to have at home for digital movies, photographs, iTunes, internet and all the applications that make up Apple’s ‘Digital Hub’ concept with the Mac as the centre of home entertainment and communication.

Features

• LED-backlit widescreen display in two sizes: 21.5″ and 27″
• Dual-core processor up to 3.33GHz or Quad-core processor up to 2.8GHz
• Slim all-in-one design – everything is built into the display
• Comes with iLife: iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb
• Build-in iSight video camera (webcam)
• BlueTooth, Airport Extreme (802.11n) wireless networking
• Wireless Magic Mouse using Multi-Touch technology

Opinion

Unless you use very demanding applications (e.g. video editing, photo retouching, 3D modeling), or you need to work on the move and hence need a laptop, this is probably the best Mac for most of us. Although it is positioned as being an entry-level machine, it’s extremely powerful and it’s pretty expandable too with up to 16GB RAM and up to 2TB hard drive. More than powerful enough for most people’s needs (even for business & professional users to work on all day), super smart and gorgeous to look at, and really very cheap for what you get, this Mac is the Editor’s Choice of the current lineup. In fact it is the Mac I use myself and I have two – one at work and one at home!

Buying an iMac

The best place to buy a new iMac is the online Apple Store. Not only do you have the comfort and security of buying directly from the manufacturer, you also get free delivery and 90 days free support from Apple.

The online Apple Store allows you to configure your Mac to your own requirements: you can choose processor, display, memory, hard drive capacity and other options and build your own Mac. For the latest iMac prices, configuration options and specifications visit the online Apple Store.

iMac 21.5″ starts from £969

iMac 27″ starts from £1,349

Secondhand iMac
If you’re interested in a secondhand iMac instead of a new one check out the secondhand iMacs on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on iMacs on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself.

Overview

Mac Pro is the top of the range Macintosh, designed for professional usage in the most demanding applications such as graphic design, photo retouching, 3D modeling, video editing and the like. Mac Pro is designed to be the ultimate in performance and expandability so unless you need these then this Mac is probably overkill. Unlike previous top-end Macs the Mac Pro is designed to be upgraded easily. Top end Macs have always been upgradeable but you usually needed special tools and similar skills to a flat-pack furniture assembler in order to actually perform the upgrade. Not so with the Mac Pro, everything is designed to be easy to get at and it’s incredibly neat and tidy inside – not like the rat’s nest of tangled cables that used to lurk under the covers of previous Macs. It’s also very easy to connect peripherals with a profusion of USB, FireWire, optical, audio and Ethernet ports on the back and the front of the machine – no more crawling under the desk to reach fiddly sockets at the back for your most commonly used connectors!

Turning to the meat of the matter: what’s under the bonnet? The current Mac Pro uses the 64-bit Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor which has it’s four cores on a single die. What does that mean? It means it’s fast. Very fast. As well as having very fast processors it also has the ability to boost it’s performance when it’s needed and switch off unused processors (thus saving energy) when it isn’t.

Features

• 8-core: Two 2.26GHz, 2.66GHz or 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5500 series processors
• Quad-core: One 2.66GHz or 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3500 series processor
• Turbo Boost dynamic performance (up to 3.33GHz on 8-core 2.93GHz system)
• 8-core: Eight memory slots supporting up to 32GB using 1GB, 2GB or 4GB DIMMs
• Quad-core: Four memory slots supporting up to 8GB using 1GB or 2GB DIMMs
• Two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45) interfaces with support for jumbo frames
• Optional AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi card with 802.11n
• Four 3.5-inch cable-free, direct-attach hard drive bays with  3Gb/s Serial ATA – up to 4TB of internal storage
• Three open full-length PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots

Opinion

Buying this machine is a simple decision: do you need all that power and or expandability or not? If you do then nothing else will do. Whilst additional performance is always welcome, it does come at a price and you won’t get the full benefit of that additional performance unless you are using demanding applications or are working in a production environment where minutes saved every hour add up to a big increase in productivity over a week. In short if you’re a graphic designer, 3D modeler, CAD designer, video editor or the like then this is without doubt the machine for you. If you’re just using it to write letters and surf the net, get an iMac instead. Expandability is the other key reason for choosing a Mac Pro, but in my experience, this expandability is not often used. If you look inside most 3 year old machines you will find that all those expansion slots are still empty, so make sure you’re not paying for something you’ll never use!

Buying a Mac Pro

The best place to buy a new Mac Pro is the online Apple Store. Not only do you have the comfort and security of buying directly from the manufacturer, you also get free delivery and 90 days free support from Apple.

The online Apple Store allows you to configure your Mac Pro to your own requirements: you can choose processor, display, memory, hard drive capacity and other options and build your own Mac. For the latest Mac Pro prices, configuration options and specifications visit the online Apple Store.

MacPro Quad-Core starts from £1,899

Mac Pro 8-Core starts from £2,499

Secondhand Mac Pro
If you’re interested in a secondhand Mac Pro instead of a new one check out the secondhand Mac Pros on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on Mac Pros on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself. You can also get previous models of Mac Pro that are no longer available from Apple, often at significant savings.

Overview

iPod changed the way we listen to music, and the way we buy it, and the way we store it. The basic principle of music on the move started with the Walkman in the 70s but this is not just a simple updating of that concept, it’s a total revolution which has brought us many undreamed of benefits. We can now not only listen to our music (in superb quality) wherever we are, we can now buy it online directly from the iPod and we can buy just the tracks we want, individually, for just a few pence. Not only that but we can do the same thing with films, TV shows and audio books. An iPod can hold an incredible amount of music, video and photographs (up to 7,000 songs!) making it a great way to store all your music & photographs and have access to them on the move. The iPod touch shares many of the same functions and features of the iPhone (apart from the phone), giving you internet access via WiFi and many of the same applications from the App Store. The smaller iPods also have some pretty neat tricks up their sleeve – the tiny iPod shuffle can talk to you and tell you what song is currently playing and the iPod nano will even connect to your trainers (yes honestly!) and monitor and record your workout as well as playing your music on the run.

The different iPod models compared

iPod shuffle

iPod shuffle is the baby of the bunch – the smallest and cheapest iPod. 4GB capacity (1,000 songs). Tiny size and weight means it has no room for a display so it talks to you instead. With no display, obviously you can’t watch videos or see photographs like the other models. This iPod is for music only. £59 at the Apple Store.

Buy iPod shuffle at the online Apple Store – £59

iPod nano

iPod nano is the smallest iPod with a display. Available in 8GB and 16GB versions holding 2,000 and 4,000 songs respectively in a beautiful curved aluminium case. 2″ widescreen display which flips from landscape to portrait when you turn the iPod. The built-in accelerometer which senses which way up the iPod is also allows you to pay some nifty games by tilting and moving the iPod. Don’t like the track that’s playing? Just shake it and it shuffles on to the next track!

Buy iPod nano at the online Apple Store – from £107

iPod classic

This is the big one – 120GB capacity holds up to 30,000 songs and hundreds of hours of video. Vivid 2.5″ display, massive capacity but no accelerometer or landscape/portrait mode like the nano. If you need the massive capacity nothing else will do, otherwise the nano and touch are much more up to date with more features.

Buy iPod classic at the Online Apple Store – £175

iPod touch

iPod touch is the pick of the bunch. Available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions storing 1,750, 3,500 and 7,00 songs respectively, this iPod is basically an iPhone without the phone. As well as all the music/video/photo capabilities of the others, this one adds WiFi and internet access, direct downloading from iTunes without a computer, and internet access.

Buy iPod touch at the Online Apple Store – from £165

Secondhand iPods
If you’re interested in a secondhand iPod instead of a new one check out the secondhand iPod listings on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on iPods on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself.

Overview

iPhone is more than just a phone – it combines three devices in one: a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod and an Internet device giving you web access, email and maps with GPS. iPhone 3GS is the newest, fastest iPhone (up to 2X faster than the iPhone 3G) with a new 3 megapixel camera (that can also take videos), and voice control. It starts at around £100 more than the single remaining 3G model but this is for a 16GB rather than 8 GB for the 3G. 8GB isn’t really enough for an iPhone anyway and the relatively small difference in price makes the iPhone 3GS the de facto choice for most people.

Features

• 3G GSM, Wi-Fi & BlueTooth
• Standby time up to 277 hours, talk time up to 12 hours (5 on 3G)
• Up to 9 hours internet use on Wi-Fi
• 3 megapixel camera, with tap-to-focus and video recording
• Video playback & sharing, upload to YouTube etc.
• Voice control
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
• Built-in speaker
• 16Gb or 32Gb capacity
• Stereo Headset with mic
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter

Opinion

The iPhone is stunning, the iPhone 3GS is the best version of it. That’s it, there’s really nothing more to say! It’s faster, it’s got an improved camera with video and a new screen that is resistant to fingerprints and it responds to voice commands. You can call people by saying their name and play music in the iPod by saying the title. You can even ask it what tune is playing at the moment and it will tell you! This is the must-have gadget of the decade and you can even justify having it through it’s combined functions as phone/iPod/camera/video/email/web browser/diary/address book. £440 isn’t a lot of money when you consider everything it does and it’s only one thing to carry around instead of several. Buy the 3GS as opposed the 3G unless you really can’t afford the extra – if you buy the 3G it’s just going to irk you for the next three years that you should have bought the S instead!

Buying an iPhone 3G S

You can buy an iPhone 3G S from O2 or from the online Apple Store. With the Apple Store you not only have the comfort and security of buying directly from the manufacturer, you also get free delivery and 90 days free support from Apple. iPhones in the UK currently only work on the O2 network and iPhones bought from the Apple Online Store come with the Pay & Go service from O2 which  includes 12 months unlimited 3G data and Wi-Fi access.

Buy iPhone 3GS at the Online Apple Store from £440.40

Secondhand iPhones
If you’re interested in a secondhand iPhone 3G S instead of a new one check out the secondhand iPhone 3GS listings on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on iPhone 3GS on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself.

Overview

iPhone is more than just a phone – it combines three devices in one: a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod and an Internet device giving you web access, email and maps with GPS. The spectacular user interface transforms this way beyond other mobile phones. You make a call  by simply tapping a name or number in your contacts or a phone number on a web page. Visual Voicemail lets you select and listen to messages by simply tapping them. The iPhone also acts as an iPod Touch to play music and films and can download new material from the iTunes store wirelessly. The Safari web browser uses fast 3G and Wi-Fi wireless connections to access web pages and if you rotate the iPhone the display changes from portrait to landscape so you can see wide or long pages better. Zoom in or out by gesturing – simply pinch or spread your fingers and the display resizes. As well as all that, Phone comes with some amazing applications and you can download more from the  App Store. iPhone Apps cover a wealth of applications from games and Facebook to learning to play the piano and finding the nearest restaurant. To call the iPhone a phone simply doesn’t do it justice!

Features

• 3G GSM, Wi-Fi & BlueTooth
• Standby time up to 300 hours, talk time up to 10 hours (5 on 3G)
• Up to 6 hours internet use on Wi-Fi
• 2 megapixel camera
• Built-in speaker
• 8GB capacity (16Gb & 32Gb only on iPhone 3GS)
• Stereo Headset with mic
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter

Opinion

The iPhone is a stunning device. If you make phone calls, listen to music and use the internet and email then you should have one – no question. The only question is, which one to choose?  You’re probably better off buying the newer iPhone 3G S model rather than this one unless price is your over-riding concern. Now the iPhone is not a cheap device so if price is your over-riding concern then you probably won’t buy one anyway, but if the pennies really count then the iPhone 3G is the cheapest new iPhone currently available. If you can afford it however, you’re probably better off stretching that litle bit further to get the iPhone 3G S instead.

Buying an iPhone 3G

You can buy an iPhone 3G from O2 or from the online Apple Store. With the Apple Store you not only have the comfort and security of buying directly from the manufacturer, you also get free delivery and 90 days free support from Apple. iPhones in the UK currently only work on the O2 network and iPhones bought from the Apple Online Store come with the Pay & Go service from O2 which  includes 12 months unlimited 3G data and Wi-Fi access.

Buy iPhone 3G at the Online Apple Store from £342.50

Secondhand iPhones
If you’re interested in a secondhand iPhone instead of a new one check out the secondhand iPhones on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on iPhones on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself.

Overview

Entry level Mac Laptop from Apple – an iMac on wheels! The MacBook is an entry level machine aimed at personal use in home, school, or office, but like the iMac it’s still a very decent performer despite it’s low price. It now only comes in white with a 13″ screen as the other versions of the MacBook have been moved up to the MacBook Pro line.

Features

• 13.3″ Glossy Widescreen display
• 2.13 GHzPowerful Intel Core 2 Due processor
• Durable white polycarbonate casing
• Comes with iLife: iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb
• Build-in iSight video camera (webcam)
• BlueTooth, Airport Extreme (802.11n) wireless networking

Opinion

At £749 for a Mac laptop it’s hard to go wrong. It only comes in one colour and one screen size but if you need a Mac to travel about with (and you shouldn’t buy a laptop unless you do need to carry it around) then 13″ is a very convenient size. If you’ve got more money to spend then a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air will give you more options in terms of performance and screen size but if you want a cheap, no-frills Mac laptop then this is it.

Buying a MacBook

The best place to buy a new MacBook is the online Apple Store. Not only do you have the comfort and security of buying directly from the manufacturer, you also get free delivery and 90 days free support from Apple.

The online Apple Store allows you to configure your Mac to your own requirements: you can choose processor, display, memory, hard drive capacity and other options and build your own Mac. For the latest MacBook prices, configuration options and specifications visit the online Apple Store.

MacBook 13″ starts from £749

Secondhand MacBooks
If you’re interested in a secondhand MacBook instead of a new one check out the secondhand MacBooks on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on MacBooks on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself.

Overview

Top of the range Mac Laptop aimed at professional users. Available with either 13″, 15″, or 17″ displays in a sleek casing milled from a single block of Aluminium. Although it’s slim, lightweight and beautiful to look at, Apple have allowed for the realities of laptop use and made the MacBook Pro more durable than ever so you can sling it in your briefcase and even trip over the power lead without damaging it! The display is the best ever with a glass screen (most are plastic) and the battery life is now up to 10 hours without recharging. The new MacBook Pro batteries also last up to 5 years, during which time most laptops would have used three batteries. A superb new keyboard (automatically backlit in low-light) and a spacious glass trackpad that has no button (the pad is the button!) and which supports gestures such as pinching to zoom in and out, make this machine more more pleasant to use than laptops usually are. Using a laptop used to be a cramped and awkward experience, a bit like painting your hall through the letterbox, but this one is a sheer joy to use.

Features

• 13″, 15″, or 17″ LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
• Intel Core 2 Duo processors ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.66GHz (13″)
• Intel Core i5 and i7 processors ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.66GHz (15″ & 17″)
• Unibody casing precision milled from a solid block of aluminium
• Up to 10 hours battery life (batteries last 5 years)
• 8 Speed SuperDrive
• Built-in full-size backlit keyboard
• Multi-Touch trackpad with gesturing – pinch, rotate, swipe, drag etc.
• Comes with iLife: iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iDVD, and iWeb
• Build-in iSight video camera (webcam) & stereo speakers
• BlueTooth, Airport Extreme (802.11n) wireless networking + Gigabit Ethernet

Opinion

Apple have displayed their usual flair for design and innovation and removed most of the problems associated with laptops – poor displays & keyboards, short battery life, susceptibility to damage etc. This is one stunning laptop that is not only sleek and powerful but is also very usable all day every day. It isn’t particularly cheap but if you consider what’s gone into it and the way it has pushed the boundaries of laptop design and usability then you’d have to agree it’s not particularly expensive either. The top of the range 17″ model starts at £1,899 (which is twice the price of an iMac) but for a top of the range anything that’s not a huge amount. More people will probably buy the 13″ and 15″ models which start at a much more affordable £999, and there are enough options within the range to be able to find the optimum balance between price and features. Although I have always said “don’t buy a laptop unless you really need it to be portable”, this is one laptop that you could work quite happily on all day everyday, even if you only used it’s portability very occasionally. You would still be paying a premium for the portability but in this case it might just be worth it.

Buying a MacBook Pro

The best place to buy a new MacBook Pro is the online Apple Store. Not only do you have the comfort and security of buying directly from the manufacturer, you also get free delivery and 90 days free support from Apple.

The online Apple Store allows you to configure your Mac to your own requirements: you can choose processor, display, memory, hard drive capacity and other options and build your own Mac. For the latest MacBook Pro prices, configuration options and specifications visit the online Apple Store.

MacBook Pro 13″ starts from £999

MacBook Pro 15″ starts from £1,499

MacBook Pro 17″ starts from £1,899

Secondhand MacBook Pro
If you’re interested in a secondhand MacBook Pro instead of a new one check out the secondhand MacBook Pros on MacBooty. This site finds the best deals on MacBook Pros on eBay and saves you from having to sort through all the eBay listings yourself.