Macbook Pro's are as desirable as they are expensive. Which MacBook should I buy? There are three different models of laptops in Apple's line-up:, (which is primarily advertised with a, but also comes in a ), and the. Two of these lines have recently been updated:the 12-inch MacBook and (very slightly) the Air. We're still waiting for the MacBook Pro to be refreshed. Further complicating matters, each of those MacBooks is available in different sizes and configurations, with various build-to-order options.

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It's not surprising, then, that many people have difficulty deciding between them. In this article we're helping you make that decision by examining the options and providing expert advice about which MacBook is best for you. First, let's take a look at what's on offer. [You should also read our ] MacBook Air buying advice There are four standard configurations of MacBook Air available. You can either have an 11in or a 13in screen, and in either case you can either have 128GB or 256GB of flash storage. All four base models come with a 1.6GHz processor; the 11in models both come with 4GB of RAM and the 13in models have 8GB. But you can give the processor a boost, or bump an 11in MacBook up to 8GB of RAM, if you're willing to pay a little more.

(Apple updated its MacBook lines - or part of them - in April 2016, but the sum total of the was for the 8GB of RAM to be included in the base price for the 13in models.) Here's what the base specs will cost you: MacBook Air 11in, 128GB: $1,399 MacBook Air 11in, 256GB: $1,699 MacBook Air 13in, 128GB: $1,549 MacBook Air 13in, 256GB: $1,849 The MacBook Air used to be the most portable MacBook available, but 2015's 12-inch MacBook has now taken that position. However, the 11in MacBook Air model is still ideal for anyone who travels a lot, and if you can live with the physical design, which hasn't changed in years, it remains a strong and (by Apple's standards) highly affordable option. It offers far more bang for your buck than the costly and rather underpowered 12-inch model.

Retina MacBook Pro buying advice When it comes to the MacBook Pro, there are a total of five models with Retina displays, three of which have 13in screens while the remaining two have 15in displays. Free simulation games for mac. (There's also a single non-Retina Pro model, which is hidden away at the bottom of the, not advertised on the main page, and generally treated like a pariah. But it's still a decent laptop - we'll look at the non-Retina Pro in a moment.) For each screen size you can choose various base storage allocation, varying from 128GB to 512GB, although the 15in model doesn't come with the lowest of those options. Thanks to its higher specs the MacBook Pro with Retina display offers more power than the MacBook Air, and the display also offers a significantly higher resolution. Internally, each of the MacBook Pro with Retina display models differ, but we'll come to that later. Here's what the various base specs of the MacBook Pro cost: MacBook Pro 13in, 128GB: $1,999 MacBook Pro 13in, 256GB: $2,299 MacBook Pro 13in, 512GB: $2,799 MacBook Pro 15in, 256GB: $3,099 MacBook Pro 15in, 512GB: $3,799 Non-Retina MacBook Pro buying advice There is one more MacBook Pro available, the MacBook Pro with no Retina display.

It's only available as a 13in 2.5GHz model, but it's the last remaining MacBook with an optical disc drive - a CD/DVD writer that Apple refers to as the SuperDrive. MacBook Pro, 13in non-Retina: $1,699The non-Retina MacBook Pro hasn't been updated by Apple since 2012. There have been. We did think that it would dissapear from the lineup, but it's apparently not past its 'sell-by' date. There's clearly a market for it, and with its built-in Ethernet socket and SuperDrive it clearly appeals to people who are permanently linked to a pre-wireless world.

Even so, we think you are better off avoiding this model and getting a faster and more modern model. Either a slinky 12-inch MacBook or the powerful MacBook Pro with Retina display. 12-inch MacBook buying advice The MacBook, introduced in April 2015 and given a substantive update in April 2016 - as opposed to the Air, which got the tiniest update imaginable and the Pro, which was ignored completely and will presumably have to wait until - is now available in gold, silver, Space Grey or Rose Gold, just like the.