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Apple laptops
Updated January 19, 2006
The Apple lineup includes three breeds: the less expensive iBook, the PowerBook G4, and the just-announced MacBook Pro. Clad in Apple's signature white, iBooks have a polycarbonate case and keyboard, basic components, a decent mix of features, and a software package tailored to home users. PowerBooks feature a sleek aluminum-alloy case; midrange components; superior multimedia features; and some extra, professional-grade applications. The MacBook Pro, the first Apple laptop to include an Intel processor, also features an aluminum-alloy case and higher-end components that Apple claims will provide much faster performance. Whereas iBooks have affordability on their side, PowerBooks deliver generally superior performance and are better suited for graphics work, demanding applications, and some gaming. When the MacBook Pro ships in February, we expect it to replace the PowerBook as Apple's top-performing laptop. Apple says that it will transition its entire product line to Intel chips in 2006.
All Apple laptops run on the robust Mac OS X Tiger operating system and come packaged with the iLife '06 software suite for digital photos, music, movies, and Web building.
While we still wish the iBook line offered a wide-screen option, we nevertheless like all of Apple's laptops. The iBooks and PowerBooks offer solid performance; an outstanding software package; and an appealing, minimalist design. The MacBook Pro looks poised to follow suit.
Our biggest beef with the company is the steep price of upgrades, from hardware to tech support. To upgrade your 12-inch iBook's hard drive from 40GB to 100GB costs $200--about twice as much as you'd pay for a comparable upgrade on a PC. Similarly, upgrading your standard one-year warranty, which includes a mere 90 days of toll-free phone support, to three years costs $249 for iBooks and $349 for PowerBooks and MacBook Pros.
Apple's laptops are available direct from the Apple Store online, at Apple retail outlets, and from online resellers and retail stores.
Apple laptops:
iBook 12-inch |
iBook 14-inch |
PowerBook 12-inch |
PowerBook 15-inch |
PowerBook 17-inch |
MacBook Pro
Apple iBook 12-inch
The darling of students and home users, Apple's $999 entry-level laptop features a 1.33GHz PowerPC G4 processor, a 40GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. Though its white, polycarbonate case isn't as light or sleek as the 12-inch PowerBook's, the 12-inch iBook's ports and connections are similar, with the exception of a lack of some audiovisual connectors (microphone jack, DVI, VGA ports). The 12-inch iBook also lacks a DVD burner, even as an option, and it's a bit heavier than the 12-inch PowerBook. But for basic home use, this iBook is a steal, especially when you consider its terrific software package, which includes iLife '05, AppleWorks, Quicken 2005, and the World Book Multimedia Suite.
- Weight: Approximately 4.9 pounds
- Display: 12.1-inch (diagonal), 1,024x768 (XGA) display
- Price: Starts at $999
- CPU: 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
- Memory: Up to 1.5GB of RAM
- Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 9550
- Hard drive: 40GB, 60GB, 80GB, or 100GB (4,200rpm)
- Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW only (no DVD burner option)
 Apple iBook 14-inch
Though it looks much like the 12-inch model, the 14-inch iBook is a pound heavier and comes with some higher-end components, including a marginally faster 1.42GHz PowerPC G4 processor, a 60GB hard drive, and a single-layer DVD burner. Though the 14-inch iBook has many of the same ports and connections as the 15-inch PowerBook, it lacks such audiovisual connections as DVI, VGA, and a microphone jack; in addition, the PowerBook's aluminum alloy case makes it lighter, despite its larger screen size. Spec for spec, it's not quite as good a deal as the 12-inch iBook, but the 14-inch model still offers a competitive set of components, solid networking and connectivity options, and a terrific software package that includes iLife '05, AppleWorks, Quicken 2005, and the World Book Multimedia Suite.
- Weight: Approximately 5.9 pounds
- Display: 14.1-inch (diagonal), 1,024x768 (XGA) display
- Price: Starts at $1,299
- CPU: 1.42GHz PowerPC G4
- Memory: Up to 1.5GB of RAM
- Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 9550
- Hard drive: 60GB, 80GB, or 100GB (4,200rpm)
- Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW or DVD burner
Apple PowerBook 12-inch
Apple's most portable PowerBook has the same size and resolution display as the 12-inch iBook, but it's lighter and features better components: a 1.5GHz PowerPC G4 processor; an 80GB, 5,400rpm hard drive; 64MB of dedicated video RAM; and a single-layer DVD burner. In addition, the 12-inch PowerBook has a number of multimedia connections including DVI, VGA, and S-Video. It also comes with a more business-oriented software bundle that includes Art Directors Toolkit, OmniOutliner, and QuickBooks for Mac. For the basic user, the 12-inch iBook is a better deal, but if you need more professional features, a performance boost, or the most lightweight design available, the 12-inch PowerBook is a good choice.
- Weight: Approximately 4.6 pounds
- Display: 12.1-inch (diagonal), 1,024x768 (XGA) display
- Price: Starts at $1,499
- CPU: 1.5GHz PowerPC G4
- Memory: Up to 1GB of RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce FX Go5200
- Hard drive: 80GB or 100GB (5,400rpm)
- Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW or double-layer DVD burner
Apple PowerBook 15-inch
The middle child in the PowerBook family offers a balance of portability and performance as well as a crisp, 15.2-inch wide-screen display. But it's expensive. This $1,999 PowerBook shares many of the same components as the 12-inch PowerBook, with the exception of a faster processor (1.67GHz), more VRAM (128MB), a standard double-layer DVD burner, and a higher-resolution screen. The 15-inch PowerBook's slender aluminum alloy case is lighter than its 14-inch iBook cousin, and the PowerBook's faster components, extra audiovisual connections, and higher-resolution screen make it the better choice for graphics work. Still, unless you engage in video editing on the fly or have some other essential reason to haul around a 15-inch display, we prefer the cheaper, more compact 12-inch PowerBook. (Use the money you'll save to buy an LCD monitor to use with your laptop at home or at work.)
- Weight: Approximately 5.6 pounds
- Display: 15.2-inch (diagonal), 1,440x960 (XGA) display
- Price: Starts at $1,999
- CPU: 1.67GHz PowerPC G4
- Memory: Up to 2GB of RAM
- Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
- Hard drive: 80GB or 120GB (5,400rpm) or 100GB (7,200rpm)
- Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW or double-layer DVD burner
Apple PowerBook 17-inch
Apple's desktop-replacement model, the $2,499 PowerBook G4, has a gorgeous, 17-inch display--and, at 6.9 pounds, it's among the lightest laptops of its size on the market. It's also one of the most expensive. Like its 15-inch sibling, the 17-inch PowerBook offers a 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 512MB of RAM, and 128MB of dedicated VRAM, as well as a raft of multimedia-friendly features that make it particularly well suited for graphics work. The $500 difference between the two PowerBook models can best be chalked up to the 17-inch model's larger standard hard drive and that beautiful, 1,680x1,050 display. While we appreciate the beauty of the 17-inch PowerBook and love working on a screen that size, we're unconvinced that it's worth the inflated price. Again, we'd prefer to buy the more portable 12-inch model and use the money we'd have left over to buy an LCD monitor to use at home or at work.
- Weight: Approximately 6.9 pounds
- Display: 17-inch (diagonal), 1,680x1,050 (XGA) display
- Price: Starts at $2,499
- CPU: 1.67GHz PowerPC G4
- Memory: Up to 2GB of RAM
- Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
- Hard drive: 120GB (5,400rpm) or 100GB (7,200rpm)
- Optical drive: DVD-ROM/CD-RW or double-layer DVD burner
Apple MacBook Pro
Apple recently announced that its first Intel-based laptop will arrive in February 2006. The 15.4-inch wide-screen MacBook Pro includes a Centrino Core Duo chipset that Apple claims will be four to five times faster than those in existing iBooks and PowerBooks. But so far, Apple has made no claims on the MacBook Pro's battery life. Though Intel says its dual-core processors consume less power than the prior generation of single cores, we're curious to see how long the laptop will run unplugged from the wall socket. Physically, the MacBook Pro resembles the 15-inch PowerBook, though the former includes a built-in iSight camera, an ExpressCard slot, and an Apple Remote for navigating the company's Front Row media software. If you have $2,000 to spend on a laptop, the MacBook Pro gives you fewer and fewer excuses not to go with Apple. And if the MacBook Pro delivers on Apple's performance promises, it will give Apple bragging rights to the prettiest and most powerful laptop on the planet.
- Weight: Approximately 5.6 pounds
- Display: 15.4-inch (diagonal), 1,440x900 (XGA) display
- Price: Starts at $1,999
- CPU: 1.67GHz Core Duo
- Memory: Up to 2GB of RAM
- Graphics: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
- Hard drive: Up to 120GB (5,400rpm) and 100GB (7,200rpm)
- Optical drive: Double-layer DVD burner
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HP TouchSmart PC, $1,149.99
Apple desktops
