Gorgeous, expensive and exasperating in equal measure, and yet still desirable despite its myriad faults

A stunning design backed up by great performance and good value for money.

Still one of the best examples of laptop design in the market, but there are compromises

Eye-catching and very well designed, the new iMac is an excellent all-in-one PC system.

We heard that Apple may be changing its slogan from “Think Different” to “CONFORM!”

Apple’s 17-inch PowerBook G4 is a thing of beauty, shaming the other 17- inch notebooks with its size, weight and design – perhaps with the exception of the ASUS.

Like clowns piling out of the other kind of Mini, you’ll be similarly surprised at how much Apple has managed to squeeze into the Mac mini.

Apple and style are synonymous and the rounded lines and gloss white plastic chassis add to its durability and looks. Its slot-mounting combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW means there are no moving parts to break off in accidents, and serve to provide additional storage space should the comparatively small 30GB hard disk not be enough room for your files.

For those users after the shift away from a Microsoft world to an OS X platform, Apple have got a deal for you. Starting at a mere $1699, you can pick up an G4 iBook capable of more than just entertainment uses.

The iMac has always been a little more about style than function and the latest iteration is testament to this philosophy. The most noticeable thing about the iMac G5 is the massive 20 inch widescreen. It's a Big Mac. Geddit?

Coming in at the ridiculously low price of $1695, Apple offer a compelling unit for anyone wanting to shift away from the ubiquitousness of Microsoft and the Windows platform.

In the sub-$2,000 category, we thought it would be negligent to leave Apple, and its popular eMac, out of the running. While we can't benchmark it head to head with the PCs, at least we can compare the features and see what alternatives there are to mainstream PCs in the world. Interestingly, the eMac (as its prefix implies) was originally intended for the education market, but it proved to be such a success it was cut loose into the broader retail market.

The new 12in PowerBook G4 is a truly beautiful piece of equipment. It sports a superb screen, the best portable keyboard ever and a super-slick, slot-loading DVD/CD-RW combo drive. Add FireWire, Bluetooth, Ethernet, a couple of USB ports and the usual external sound and video ports and it seems like everything you could want is on offer at a sub- $4,000 price.

The iBook represents the budget- end of Apple's notebook range. Its sturdy white lid, and solid base give it a quality feel, and it even manages to come in at only 2.5kg, including power pack.