Ah, Christmas. The time when most people get their new computers. If one doesn't get the latest and greatest technology, then it's a hand-me-down from a friend or relative who did.
The biggest dilemma in getting a new Mac is choosing a model. Portable or desktop? Consumer version or Pro? Good, better, best? Making such a decision is not as easy as one might think. Here are a few tips that may help.
If you travel more than a couple of weeks a year, get a portable. The MacBook has the same computing guts as the iMac, and the MacBook Pro will run the Pro applications at impressive speed. If you need a large monitor, both portables will drive up to 1900 x 1200 pixels on an external monitor and good 22-inch external monitors are less than HK$3,000 if you shop around.
Those with many photos or videos should go for the MacBook Pro because it has a superior video card with more RAM. Newer pro-type applications are using video RAM to gain performance, so the more the better.
The MacBook comes with 64 megabytes of video RAM while the MacBook Pro has 124 and 256MB. If you play video games, this would also be a consideration.
If you never take a computer when you travel, the iMac is good value, especially the new one with 24-inch built-in monitor, because you get a large monitor for about the same price as the MacBook. There's no substitute for a large working/viewing surface.
