EXCLUSIVES

MAC COMPUTER

Words by Stephen Cody

Due to the fact that some of the nominated Macs are desktops, while others are laptops, the iCademy decided to run two preliminary showdowns in order to reach an exciting finale where the best laptop competes with the best desktop for the ultimate iWard.

In spite of the availability of different laptop types, the anticipated phasing out of PowerPC machines means that the 12” and 17” PowerBook G4’s and the entire iBook line start the competition at a disadvantage. Of all Apple’s laptops, only the MacBook Pro is up to today’s computing power standards (PowerPC G5 or Intel Duo Core processing).

MacBook Pro configurations come with a 15.4” TFT display with 1440 x 900 resolution, a slot load SuperDrive, an iSight camera, a backlit keyboard, AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth wireless networking, dual DVI video output, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, FireWire 400, Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR, and optical digital and analog audio input/output. We recommend you spend the extra $500 for an upgraded configuration of the MacBook Pro: 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1 GB DDR RAM (single DIMM), 100 GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive, and ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256 MB memory.

So the $2,499 MacBook Pro is our winner in the laptop category and must go head-to-head with the best desktop.

Of the desktops, the Intel Mac Mini is really out of its element, since it’s arguably not really a total computer system. So it’s down to the G5 PowerMac and the latest iMac!

The near-prohibitive pricing of the three available G5 PowerMacs is a turn-off. These computers don’t come with their own screen, iSight camera, remote, or built-in microphone, not to mention that the graphics adapters are somewhat outdated.

Couple the above PowerMac G5 downsides with the very impressive specifications of the new iMacs, so the question of choosing a best Mac desktop quickly turns into a choice between the two latest iMac models.
Both available configurations of the latest iMac boast too many cutting edge features to detail here. The major differences are, obviously, the size and resolution of the display, and data storage capacity. Both these differences are very important factors, as everyone loves a big screen and most of us are digital pack-rats. These two traits make the extra $400 a fair price for the convenience provided. So the 20” iMac Intel Core Duo gets our vote for best current Mac desktop!

The 20” iMac is $300 cheaper than the MacBook Pro. It is a brilliantly designed piece that surpasses every computer vision attempted, while the MacBook Pro doesn’t cause much eye-popping, design-wise. The screen size, screen resolutions, and the overall quality of the 20” iMac are superior to the MacBook Pro. At almost three times the size of the its MacBook Pro counterpart, the iMac’s 250 GB drive makes the iMac a dual-role machine, great for working as well as having fun. Also, the 20 inch iMac’s SuperDrive can write DVDs at up to 8x speed, while the MacBook Pro’s maxes out at 4x and is limited to a single-layer DVD, while the iMac goes dual-layer. The MacBook Pro has only one USB 2.0 port and one FireWire port, but the 20 inch iMac has three of the former and two of the latter.