Laptop Articles

One pleasant surprise from the past couple of months has been the number of good-to-great laptops we've reviewed that can be had for $1,000 or less. That price range is usually Compromise City, with cheap-looking systems that may have decent CPUs, but skimp on a lot of other stuff. And, of course, no one wants to be seen in the coffee shop with a hunk of molded plastic while every other table sports a metal MacBook.

Whether you're gearing up for the fall semester or you're just ready for a pre-Windows 8 upgrade, the systems below all strike a good balance between price, design, and features.… Read more

Online game retailer Steam is running a big summer sale right now, which makes it a great time to build out your Mac OS X game library, thanks to heavy discounts on some recent and not-so-recent games.

As we've noted previously, the Steam sale "offers daily deals, multiple random flash sales, and a unique community choice vote where voters choose on the next heavily discounted game (which revolves every eight hours)." While most of the games on sale are Windows-only, there is a healthy selection of Mac games. But more importantly, those Mac games are significantly less expensive than they are on Apple's own Mac App Store. … Read more

OK, I'll admit it. I was a little harsh when I reviewed the newest Google Chromebook from Samsung. Why? Because no matter how snappy or quick-booting the Chromebook feels, it's a computer that needs an online connection for most apps. Or, it was.

Now that version 20 of the Chrome browser has been released and Chrome OS 20 is also available, a key app update to Google Drive enables offline Google Docs editing and writing, a feature I sorely missed when I reviewed the system. Now it's here, bearing promises of finally taking Chromebooks where they've never easily gone before: offline.… Read more

The new MacBook Pro with Retina display has many noteworthy features, from a unique 2,880x1,800-pixel screen to new Nvidia graphics to large SSD storage options. But, the most surprising may be the multiple video outputs -- something not seen on a MacBook before now.

The last several generations of MacBook have had either a mini-DisplayPort or combo Thunderbolt/DisplayPort jack. HDMI has been on our most-wished-for lists for years, so Apple finally adding HDMI (which is found on pretty every other current laptop) is a big move, especially when combined with a second Thunderbolt port.

The initial review of the Retina Pro … Read more

Editors' note: This post was updated October 26, 2012, with all 2012 MacBook Air and Pro reviews, including the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

As 2012 draws to a close, we've seen the death of one MacBook, the 17-inch Pro, and the addition of two new models -- 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with thinner bodies and high-resolution Retina displays. All now have third-generation Intel Core i-series processors, Thunderbolt ports, and USB 3.0, while the two new Retina models even have HDMI outputs, a long-requested feature.

The Retina models are impressive reboots, walking the line between slim … Read more

MacBook Air. MacBook Pro. Once upon a time, these two products were significantly different from each other, two totally different products. That dividing line's been blurring, especially when it comes to the world of 13-inch MacBooks.

The MacBook Air used to be an underperforming, expensive laptop with stellar design, while the 13-inch Pro was a full-featured, far more robust machine. The truth is, these systems are closer in performance and price than ever before. … Read more

Seeing all the attention (and unexpectedly lavish praise) heaped on Microsoft's just-announced Surface tablet reminds me of all the great Windows tablets I've tested and reviewed over the years.

Wait, that's not right. The vast majority of Windows-powered tablets I've tried have been terrible. Some hit minimum levels of functionality, but nearly all were underpowered, lacked touch-centered software, were too expensive, or had terrible input hardware.

It's interesting to note that many of these examples date from the pre-iPad era. Once Apple's tablet hit the scene, there was a sharp drop-off in Windows tablets. … Read more

NEW YORK -- Vizio, a company best known for making TVs, is officially throwing its hat into the PC arena.

The company is taking the wraps off three distinct lines of Windows computers: ultrabooks, mid-size laptops, and all-in-one desktops.

Vizio had previously announced its plans to jump into the PC market at the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but today's New York press event was the official coming-out party for the new systems.

While the company has previously dabbled in tablets, Vizio is known primarily as a scrappy competitor in the TV space. It's perhaps best … Read more

We knew new MacBooks were on their way sooner or later, and anyone who held back to buy a new model (myself included) found themselves rewarded with an across-the-board set of updates.

I had my own wish list for what I wanted to see in the next MacBook, and surprisingly, many of my requests were met...in the Retina Display MacBook Pro.

Aside from that exciting and extremely expensive $2,199 machine, however, Apple's new lineup of MacBooks doesn't differ all that much from last year's lineup. Unless you want to spend north of $2,000, your Apple upgrade path for laptops involves choosing either an Air or a thicker Pro.

The future of Apple's MacBook Pros looks to reside in that newly designed Retina Display model, whether you like it or not. If that's the case -- and in the future these redesigned Pros become the core of Apple's product line -- here's what I'd want to see.… Read more