12″ MacBook (Early 2016)

Just over a year ago, Apple introduced a whole new model under the MacBook name – barely a half-inch thick and just a touch over two pounds. The Early 2016 model takes the next step forward with Intel Core m3, m5, and m7 processors and Intel HD Graphics 515.

iPhone SE

It’s been rumored that Apple was working on a new low-end model to replace the 4″ iPhone 5S, and that new model is called the iPhone SE. It looks like an iPhone 5S, but it has the same A9 CPU as the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus which gives it double the power of the 5S. It’s […]

Low End Mac’s Guide to iPhones, Part 1

From the first iPhone launched in 2007 with its 480 x 320 3.5″ display, ARM processor running at 412 MHz, and EDGE networking through today’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus with their 750 x 1334 4.7″ and 1080 x 1920 5.5″ displays, dual-core 1.85 GHz A9 CPUs, and 4G LTE networking, we’ve seen a lot of […]

Low End Mac’s Guide to iPhones, Part 2

Prior to the September 2012 introduction of the iPhone 5, every iPhone had used a 3.5″ display. Since the iPhone 5, all screens have been larger than that. At the same time, Apple abandoned the 30-pin dock connector it had inherited from iPods and adopted the new Lightning connector. This also marked the debut of […]

21″ iMac (Late 2015)

Remember the seemingly underpowered iMac that Apple introduced in June 2014? They’ve updated it from 1.4 GHz to 1.6 GHz and kept it available as a lower cost alternative to the 21.5″ Retina 4K iMac.

iPhone 6S Plus

Slightly bigger than the iPhone 6 Plus, the iPhone 6S Plus is the largest iPhone to date. It also weighs 0.7 oz. more than the 6S Plus.

iPhone 6S

Claiming that “the only thing that changed is everything”, Apple unveiled the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus on September 9, 2015. Well, not everything. The 2015 models look just like the 2014 iPhones at first glance, although there is a new rose gold color.

iPad Pro

Considering how poorly Microsoft has been doing with its Surface, it’s quite remarkable to see Apple jumping into the same product category with the 12.9″ iPad Pro, which arrived in November.

iPad mini 4

The iPad mini 4 is faster, thinner, taller, and lighter than the iPad mini 3, boasting a 30% faster CPU and 60% faster graphics, which it replaces. That’s due in part to the 1.5 GHz A8 processor and in part to having 2 MB of system memory.

6th Generation iPod touch

The 6G iPod touch is the first 64-bit iPod touch, following the iPhone 5S, 6, and 6 Plus in leaving behind 32-bit operation. It is also the first iPod touch with a 128 GB configuration, which is only available directly from Apple.

MicroMac Upgrades for Color Classics

MicroMac provided several products to upgrade the Color Classic, a perennial favorite among Mac collectors, as well as many other Macs. Although pages on the company website have not been updated since 1998-2000, we provide this as a look back at some very innovative upgrades.

Transparent Mac SE

As documented by Charlie Springer on his web page, the Macintosh SE in a clear plastic casing is a very rare find. Only a small number (reportedly 20) of the transparent cases were made from the SE case molds before they were textured – and only 10 of these were built into working computers.

Apple Lisa Index

Apple’s Lisa was the predecessor of the Macintosh that introduced the mouse, the graphical user interface, and the integrated all-in-one design that would characterize the earliest Macs – and later on the iMac.

Performa Index

Apple’s Performa line of computers attempted to bring the Mac experience to the consumer market. The line was launched with three rebadged Macs in 1992 and phased out in 1997 when the last two models were renamed Power Macs with their last upgrade.

12″ MacBook (Early 2015)

Longtime Mac users mourned the death of the 12″ PowerBook, which was replaced by the 13″ MacBook in May 2006. As nice as the MacBook was, it was wider and had a bigger footprint than the 12″ PowerBook. It wasn’t until the 11″ MacBook Air arrived in July 2011 that Apple had a smaller footprint ‘Book. And now […]

Radius Displays, Video Cards, and Clones

Radius was founded in May 1986 by Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, and other members of the original Mac team. Radius produced the first full-page display for the Macintosh, introducing the Radius Full Page Display for the Mac Plus.

Umax SuperMac Clones

Umax acquired the Macintosh clone operation and SuperMac name from Radius, going on to become one of the more innovative clone makers. Their corporate goal was to make quality Mac OS computers at prices that would give PCs a run for their money, something I believe they succeeded at.

iPad mini 3

The big difference between the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 is the addition of Apple’s fingerprint sensor in the Home button of the Mini 3. The small difference is the addition of gold to space gray and silver finishes.

iPad Air 2

In October 2014, Apple made the iPad Air thinner and gave it a more powerful processor, Apple’s A8X chip – the same chip found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. This was also the first time an iPad was available in gold.