Which Mac should you buy?
Recent sales figures indicate that Australians are buying Macs in record numbers. But which Macs should you buy?
Apple isn't a company that talks a lot about its Australian sales figures -- indeed, if you ever find yourself in the position of wanting an Apple representative to shut up, simply ask them for local sales breakout figures -- but that doesn't stop others from analysing sales trends and working them out.
That's what's happened recently, with analyst firm Gartner being widely reported as stating that Mac sales in Australia grew an impressive 52 percent in the second quarter of 2008, compared to an average of around 9 percent for the industry as a whole. Admittedly, Apple's overall sales base was smaller, but growth like that does indicate that the Apple bug is biting Australians hard -- something that my colleague Adam Turner commented on last week.
The question of, course, then becomes which Mac to buy. As a Mac user and journo, I often get asked this kind of stuff, but before the accusations fly one more time, I'll state again; my Mac is, to me, a tool, the same as a pen, a hammer, or indeed a carving knife.
There are some things the Mac is great for, and others where it's woefully lacking. If, for example, you want a Netbook, don't buy a Macbook Air -- an Eee (or Wind, or possibly the shiny new Inspiron netbooks) will do the job much better.
Anyway, here's my thoughts on the current lineup; anyone pondering a Mac purchase could also do worse than look at MacRumors's rather nice buyer's guide; while it often veers into rumour territory when working out what's likely, it's at least a good benchmark for the age of differing systems. It's also where I've shamelessly stolen the ageing data from.
Macbook (181 days since last refreshed):
A Macbook is what I work on, so I'm loathe to not recommend it, although I'd be at variance with the MacRumors guide on this one. Bear with me, though -- if you're looking at the Macbook, then you're just chasing basic functionality, not all the bells and whistles.
As such, unless Apple pulls a very major rabbit out of its hat with its next refresh (and that'd have to be one that changed the Pro market too), then the Macbook as it stands is probably "enough" for most users.
It's also worth keeping an eye out for specials around refresh time, as if it's only a minor speed/functionality bump, then bargains can be particularly tasty.
Oh, and you could borrow a trick from Adam Turner, and buy the black one, as it's less distinctively a Mac, although you do pay a stupid premium for it, in my not unbiased opinion.
Macbook Pro (181 days since last refreshed):
My own usage suggests I probably should have purchased a Pro, and it seems likely to be what I'd buy next. As larger laptops with grunt go, the Pro is very nice indeed, and I'd argue it stacks up well against the competition. That having been said, if you're after this kind of power, then waiting for the next refresh (allegedly very soon) would make a lot of sense.
Macbook Air (223 days since last refreshed):
There's been a lot of movement in the notebook market since the Air was announced, and it's perhaps to Apple's credit that they've managed to grab mind share such that any thin, powerful laptop is often compared against the Air.
It's also arguably Apple's most niche product, both in terms of price, which is a touch on the higher side, and in the market they're targeting. The Air is nice to hold and fun to use, but unless you're already on Adam's Mac Planet, I'd say that a cheap Netbook may serve you better, and certainly wait on a line refresh.
iMac (119 days since last refresh):
I've got into trouble for recommending the iMac to PC Authority readers before, but I still think the core offering is solid, even if I was more of a fan of the "lampshade" design of the older iMac rather than the monolith-screen type that Apple now sells.
Like the Macbook, there's never a terribly bad time to buy an iMac, because if you're in the basic-needs market, what's on offer right now should do you fine for some time to come.
Mac Pro (230 days since last refresh):
The Mac Pro is Apple's heavy iron offering, and it's certainly capable of more than its fair share of heavy lifting -- both in terms of number crunching and heavily lifting notes from your wallet. I don't know too many first-time buyers who are likely to stump up for a Mac Pro (and I still don't get why it doesn't have a Blu-Ray drive in it), but for the power user with the money to spare, it's the Mac to go for.
Mac Mini/Apple TV (384 and, technically, 223 days since last refresh :
I've lumped in the Mac Mini and Apple TV together, simply because they're the two Macs I wouldn't recommend people buy. Why? Well, they are nice bits of design, and the Apple TV interface does put other PVRs to shame, but they're both hampered by being somewhat bastard children.
The Mac Mini is ageing disgracefully, something I covered in a previous blog entry, and it's tough to suggest to anyone that they pick up a product that Apple doesn't seem to care enough about to keep the core technology current.
Apple does care about the Apple TV -- the limiting of iTunes HD Movies to the Apple TV shows that, if nothing else -- but the limitations around TV recording, format playback and the like mean that it's just plain less functional and interesting than it really should be.
Now, if the Apple boffins headed to the labs with one of each (and a few new Intel parts), and returned, after much lightning and shrieks of "It's ALIVE!!!" with a hybrid machine -- that system I'd recommend in a heartbeat.
Other Blog Entries written by Alex Kidman:
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Comments: 2
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bbjai
Aug 26, 2008 6:04 PM
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Well I wouldn't say you got into trouble Alex, more like some people were seemingly really opposed to the recommendation of a iMac. I must admit that there is nothing in the PC market like it, but I do wish that people would highlight that in fact its notebook parts in a PC.
I think out of all the products the Mac Mini has the most potential if it gets refreshed, I'd be snapping it up as a Media Center PC straight away if it even bothered including Blue Ray. IF that is. I wait patiently for the supposed Aluminium refresh of the MAcbook. |
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bbjai
Aug 27, 2008 10:05 PM
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hey Alex just a quick buzz, my girlfriend is looking to buy a Macbook on the weekend and I've just been comparing it to the iMac (base) with the Macbook (base) and what do you think? The specs are highly different and all she does is listen to music, office documents and viewing photos. Would you say the iMac is significantly faster then the Macbook for everyday duties? The simple ones that is |