Before you buy an Apple laptop or desktop

There is enough variety among PCs to make your head spin. Shopping for an Apple computer is a little more straightforward, though choices are far more limited. Among laptops, Apple only offers the aluminum MacBook Pro in three different sizes (13, 15 and 17 inches) and the ultraportable MacBook Air in two sizes (11-inch and 13-inch). If you want a complete desktop with built-in monitor, your only choice is the iMac (in 21.5 or 27 inches). The desktop Mac Pros come in a number of configurations for professional-level users, but you'll need to pay extra for a monitor, keyboard or mouse. It's the same story with the Mac mini, as the diminutive entry-level desktop doesn't come with those either.

Although your shopping experience may be very different depending on your intended purpose, there are a few general things to keep in mind that apply to all Apple computers:

  • Get as much RAM as you can afford. All Macs come with at least 2 GB (and most start with 4 GB), but getting more will improve performance. More RAM will allow you to run more applications at once without system drag. If you upgrade any one feature, experts say upgrading RAM is more important than a jump in processor speed.
  • Consider the display coating. Reflective screen coatings are popular because they make graphics and movies look more saturated. However, these glossy screen coatings can create glare, especially under office lighting or bright sunlight. If you plan mainly on doing office work, consider the 15- or 17-inch MacBook Pros, which have some configurations with an anti-glare option. All other models now have glossy displays.
  • Consider hard-drive size. Photo, music and video files take up a lot of space, and adding a larger hard drive when you configure a system is a worthwhile upgrade if you work with multimedia files. You can't easily add an additional internal hard drive to a consumer-model Mac, and allowing room for growth can be a good investment. If you don't save media files, a big hard drive is less important.
  • Discrete graphics are recommended for intensive tasks. Discrete graphics, which have their own dedicated memory, have better performance for gaming, video editing and other graphics tasks. The downside for laptop users, however, is greater battery drain. Although the MacBook Air line, Mac mini and 13-inch MacBook Pros still use integrated graphics, the 15- and 17-inch MacBook Pro laptops have discrete graphics with automatic switching technology to revert to integrated graphics when possible to conserve battery life.
  • Consider AppleCare or a third-party service contract. If you don't have much Mac expertise and think you may need a good deal of tech support, AppleCare can be a good value. If not, you probably don't need to spend the extra money, especially if you live near an Apple Store.
  • Don't assume that accessories are included. Check what comes in the box for any Apple computer you buy. The Mac Pros and Mac mini don't come with a keyboard, mouse or display. Other accessories, like the Apple Remote and Mini DisplayPort adapters, also cost extra.
  • Apple laptop batteries are not user-replaceable. Apple laptops have a built-in battery that can only be replaced by Apple -- for a fee. That fee is $130 for 13- and 15-inch laptops and $180 for 17-inch laptops.

OS X Lion

In July 2011, Apple released OS X Lion, the newest version of the Mac operating system and the successor to OS X Snow Leopard. Lion comes installed on all Apple laptops and desktops, while owners of previously purchased Apple computers can upgrade to the new operating system for $30. Those who bought their Apple computers after July 21, 2011, but received systems with the previous version of OS X, Snow Leopard, might qualify for a free upgrade if they act within 30 days of their purchase. More information can be found on the Apple website.

Apple's packed a ton of changes into Lion -- more than 250, by the company's count -- but a few major ones stand out. Perhaps the most noticeable addition is the iOS-ification of the Mac environment. Apple's handheld devices -- the iPod, iPad and iPhone -- all use an operating system called iOS, and the Lion update for Apple computers adds several features that are clearly inspired by the mobile gadgets. Multitouch gestures, which allow you to manipulate your Mac in advanced ways using a built-in touchpad or the optional Magic Trackpad, are fully integrated. For example, a four-fingered flick to the side clears away all open windows and reveals the desktop, and sliding two fingers up and down on the touchpad behaves similarly to a mouse's scroll wheel.

Additionally, the Mac App Store is included with Lion (it was an addition to the later Snow Leopard updates, as well) and any apps you download appear in the new Launchpad application, rather than being plopped into the main dock. Lion includes full-screen support for apps, another new feature. You're able to have several full-screen apps open at once and can navigate them either with multitouch gestures or by moving your mouse to the top of the screen, which causes the dock to reappear.

Previous versions of the operating system included several applications designed to help users navigate the system; Exposé let you see all open windows, Dashboard provided quick access to widgets, and you could create several custom virtual desktops with the help of Spaces. All of those have been combined in Lion in the form of the Mission Control interface. Experts say that Mission Control works well and sports a clean, easy-to-use interface, but it might be easier to use the command and tab keys to move through windows if you have only a couple of applications open.

Seemingly every aspect of the system was tweaked in some small way. Finder, Safari, iCal and iChat all were tweaked, and Mail received a fairly significant overhaul. There are now auto-save and resume functions that allow you to continue where you left off when you closed an app. The new AirDrop feature lets two Macs in close proximity share files via Wi-Fi. One major change -- at least for users who like to use their Apple computer as a home theater PC -- is the removal of the Front Row media center software. Consult the Apple website for a complete list of all the new features.

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