Apple Laptops

The Bottom Line: Apple's latest version of the popular $999 white MacBook gets an upscale makeover, while keeping the price the same. It's a strong alternative to the more expensive Pro line, if you can live without extras such as an SD card slot.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.26 GHz), 2048 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.6, 4.6 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro makes only minor tweaks to the previous version, but cutting prices and swapping the ExpressCard slot for an SD card slot are enough to make it a solid improvement over its predecessor.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.53 GHz), 4096 MB DDR3 SDRAM, 250 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.6, 5.5 lbs, 15.4 in TFT active matrix, EPEAT Gold, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: For $999, it's hard to beat this MacBook's nearly MacBook-Pro-level specs if you're in the market for a budget Apple laptop.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 GHz), 2048 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 160 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.5, 5.1 lbs, 13 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold

The Bottom Line: A little late to the party, Apple's redesigned 17-inch MacBook Pro joins the 15-inch model with a redesigned aluminum body, new trackpad with expanded functionality, and a dual-graphics setup for either longer battery life or better performance.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.66 GHz), 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.5, 6.6 lbs, 17 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold

The Bottom Line: The MacBook Air introduced the unibody chassis design and multitouch gestures last year, and, thus, it doesn't receive much of an upgrade this time around.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.86 GHz), 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM, 128 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.5, 3 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star, EPEAT Gold

The Bottom Line: The new MacBook, updated to Intel's Core 2 Duo CPU, compares very favorably with Apple's high-end MacBook Pro line, offering premium performance at a reasonable price.

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 5.3 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

The Bottom Line: With the MacBook, Apple has corrected a handful of the iBook's shortcomings, hit a reasonable price point, and delivered a laptop that makes a great compromise between size and portability.

Specs: Intel Core Duo (2 GHz), 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 60 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 5.3 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo (2.2 GHz), 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 120 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.5, 5.1 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

Specs: Intel Core Duo (2 GHz), 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 80 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 5.3 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star

Specs: Intel Core Duo (2 GHz), 512 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 80 GB, Apple MacOS X 10.4, 5.3 lbs, 13.3 in TFT active matrix, EPA Energy Star