Apple's laptops have long been held up as a gold standard for portable computers. The first company to bring technologies like aluminum unibody construction, super-sharp IPS screens, backlit keyboards, and multitouch trackpads to the mainstream, Apple is still making laptops that push innovation forward. The problem with Apple's current lineup is that the company has a variety of models with different capabilities—some of which are cutting-edge, some of which haven't seen an update in years—so it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you.
Which Mac portable should you spend your hard-earned money on? Given that you'll spend more on a MacBook than a competing model from HP, Dell[1], or even Microsoft[2] in many cases, it's important to weigh your options.
The Best All-Rounder
Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch, no Touch Bar), $1,499
Apple
The least expensive MacBook Pro forgoes the bells and whistles, but we think it's the model most people should buy. This model offers solid performance and doesn't mess with the typical Apple formula too much: it has a sharp, 13-inch Retina display, a responsive trackpad, surprisingly potent speakers, and USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports for charging and hooking up peripherals. This model, like the rest of the Pro pack, is available in two colors: a clean silver and subtle space gray.
Inside the laptop, Apple's relying on dual-core 7th generation Intel processors and blazing fast PCIe Solid State Drives, along with 8 GB of RAM no matter which version you pick.
The only thing some people might miss is Touch ID. Without this fingerprint sensor, you'll be logging in with passwords, the old-fashioned way. Touch ID is only available on models that come with the Touch Bar, which...