Texte 8. Apple macintosh computers

Apple Computer, Inc.’s commitment to ease of use makes choosing a Macintosh very straightforward. Apple produces several lines of Macintosh computers, including the Macintosh Classic, the Macintosh LC, the Macintosh Performa, the Macintosh Quadra, the Powerbook, and Power Macs. The Macintosh Classic comes with enough memory and speed to run most types of software; however, its performance tends to lag when using high-end applications. Because the Classic comes with a built-in monitor, plugging it in is essentially the only setup required. The Macintosh Classic is appropriate for people who want to move to a Macintosh interface but who do not plan to do extensive work with graphics.

The Macintosh Performa line is intended for first-time and at-home computer users who want a simple choice of hardware, software, and peripherals to suit the various computer needs of their family members. One Macintosh Performa model is all-in-one, whereas other models include monitors that are not built in. This flexibility allows you to add color to the system and choose the size of the monitor – both essential if you plan to use your computer for graphics applications or DTP². This line also allows you to add a much greater amount of memory than the Macintosh Classic, making the Macintosh Performa appropriate for more complex applications.

The Macintosh LC line of personal computers is ideal for the education market because of its low cost, versatility, and color capabilities. The Macintosh LCs come complete with many built-in features such as large monitor support, networking, and memory expansion. Like the Macintosh Performa line, one Macintosh LC model is an all-in-one design, while other models allow you to choose your monitor size.

The Macintosh Quadras are designed for entry-level and mainstream professional users. Based on a faster CPU, the Macintosh Quadras include other enhancements for increasing performance and flexibility. If you expect to use your computer for extensive image editing or multimedia presentations, a Quadra will perform significantly better than the others.

The Powerbooks are notebook-sized computers that contain all the power and function of any of the other Macintosh computers. The main advantage of Powerbooks is that they are por­table. You can keep a Powerbook in your briefcase, take it to class, and even work with it on an airplane.

Once you decide on the product line, the rest is relatively easy. For each line, Apple produces a few models with different memory and hard disk configurations. Because of the vast requirements of Macintosh computer applications, the best rule of thumb to follow is to purchase as much memory and hard disk space as you can afford – and more than you think you need.

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