Month: July 2022

It might still look the same, but what could well be the last Intel iMac is one of the best desktops you can buy thanks to a number of upgrades

If this is the last Intel iMac then I won’t be too sad, because it’s a mighty fine computer. Apple may be moving on to use its own CPUs in the coming months, but this swansong for the 27in iMac design of the last decade is not only one of the best iMacs ever, it’s one of the best desktop computers around.

I’ll concede that when you’re spending this much it might be nice to have an updated design, but bezels matter less on desktop computers than on laptops. The iMac design is a classic, and with a display this good on a machine with no tower unit is alright in my book.

Apple has said it will continue to support this and older Intel Macs with software updates, and after a good month with the 2020 iMac I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.

Design & Build
If you have seen or used an iMac in the last five years, then you will know what you’re getting here. Some critics have pushed this as a downside, but I honestly don’t see it as one when the design is this good.

The excellent space-saving advantage of not needing a traditional tower with cables trailing all over the place can’t be overstated and it’s still crazy that the entire guts of the iMac is behind the display.

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The 2019 15in MacBook Pro packs in powerful Intel processors – including an 8-core option – but still uses the butterfly keyboard

Apple’s updated the MacBook Pro for 2019 with what proved to be the last 15in MacBook Pro – at least for now.

Since then the 15in has been replaced by a larger 16in MacBook Pro model, but while Apple itself no longer sells the MacBook Pro 15, you can buy it from other retailers or refurbished. So is it still worth considering?

The big change to the 2019 15in was the move from Intel’s 8th generation Coffee Lake to 9th generation Coffee Lake Refresh chips. To the uninitiated that might sound like less of an impressive jump than the usual move from processors of one ‘lake’ to another, but these newer Coffee Lake chips represent a move from 6 to 8 cores.

These chips are primarily designed for creative professionals and gamers. However, they do have some benefits for those performing general office tasks and other more consumer-focused applications, in as much as they could save battery life because they can run in low-power mode. We’ll take a closer look at the processors and other updated components

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The MacBook Air 2019 was a reasonable laptop choice for a while, but in 2020 is no cheaper and has been eclipsed by a new 2020 model, complete with Magic Keyboard

There are updates, and then there are updates; and the new MacBook Air for 2019 is more iPhone XS than Mac Pro 2019. Not all that much has changed since the previous generation – which isn’t necessarily a problem, because (like the XS) it’s still an excellent device, but it’s unlikely to tempt many one-year upgraders.

Note that the MacBook Air 2020 is here and we’ve updated this review to reflect this. Read on to find out whether you should still buy this older model. Spoiler: Although it can sometimes be a bargain to buy an older generation, this is not one of those situations.

Design & Build
The MacBook Air is a true Goldilocks of form factors. The 13in screen and full-size keyboard feel big enough to work on pretty comfortably – the trackpad is enormous, too, as we’ll discuss in a moment – but it’s contained within a chassis that’s slim (4.1mm at the thinnest point) and portable (1.25kg). The MacBook Pro is comparatively bulky, and the (now discontinued) 12in MacBook can feel cramped, but this is just right.

The Air comes in silver, gold and Space Grey. The latter is particularly smart, but we’re also fond of the gold finish which we tested. As is standard on Apple products, we’re talking about a bronzey, reddish-gold that’s easy on the eye.

Now, this will be of interest only to those contemplating an upgrade from a recent MacBook model, but it’s worth noting that all of the above is the same as the 2018 model. In classic Air fashion, the lines are sleek and minimalist and the lid opens with exactly the right amount of pressure, but Apple hasn’t updated the design at all – except for the keyboard, which we’ll talk about next.

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Boasting Apple’s new M1 chipset, the MacBook Air is one of the most powerful ultralight laptops on the market right now.

While you could set your watch to Apple’s yearly iPhone release, Apple’s update schedule is a little bit more chaotic when it comes to its Mac range. When Apple released the Intel-based MacBook Air back in Spring 2020, everybody assumed that’d be it for another year – or possibly longer, if Apple’s track record is anything to go by.

So, when Apple announced another MacBook Air, people were confused. But rather than being another simple spec bump, the new MacBook Air has been truly transformed – on the inside, anyway.

Featuring Apple’s new M1 chipset, based on the architecture of its hugely powerful A-Series chipsets for iPhone and iPad, the MacBook Air with M1 should be a serious consideration for those on the market for a lightweight-yet-powerful laptop right now.

Design and build
The MacBook Air looks almost identical to its predecessor, measuring in at 212.4mm thick, and it’s almost identical dimensions to the new MacBook Pro, but Apple tapered the design of the MacBook Air to help shave off a bit of weight and give it the distinctive Air look that Apple has lent on for years. It’s immediately noticeable as a MacBook Air, that much is certainly true.

It’s the same story in the port department, much to the disappointment to those hoping Apple would expand on the, ahem, minimal approach to ports on the MacBook Air. There’s a headphone jack, two USB-C ports and… nope, that’s it. Considering one of those two USB-C ports is used to charge the laptop, that’ll leave you with a single USB-C port at your disposal when tethered to the wall.

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