If you’re a fan of Apple products, but your hardware is limited to what you can afford, then you can still have fun taking a trip through Apple’s product history with Mactracker.
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Apple Mac hardware is generally a straightforward experience. You may not even know exactly what processor or graphics card is in your system, but you can easily discover this information yourself by using the System Report.
On the other hand, maybe you’re fascinated by every spec and detail of your system, and all the others in the Apple ecosystem. Mactracker is a fun, yet detailed application available for macOS and iOS, which tells you everything you need to know about Apple hardware—not just Macs, but iPhones, iPads, iPods, Newtons, and anything else Apple has ever produced.
Let’s check out an example and show you what we mean. Ever feel nostalgic and want to see how far you’ve come since that old 13-inch Macbook from 2009? Open up Mactracker and learn all about it.
To start, here’s the application’s main screen, showing Apple’s product line sorted by desktops, notebooks, and so on. Like we said, Mactracker covers the gamut from the company’s latest product offerings to the very first Apple computer created.
Here’s that MacBook 13-inch model, produced mid-2009. The General tab will give you an overview of the machine’s processor, storage and media options, and keyboard and trackpad information, as well as the current asking price.
Software is an important consideration when looking at older model Macs. It’s good to know if it will run the latest version of macOS (this model will not), in case you felt the need to buy one on eBay.
Mactracker can also be useful. Wonder how how much RAM the a base model of a specific Mac had, and whether it can be upgraded? Mactracker gives you all that information and even links to RAM upgrade instructions.
It also details the machine’s display capabilities, which on this machine means a native resolution of 1280×800 pixels. Not bad, but certainly not Retina-quality.
Connections are also important. Newer Macs are eschewing older legacy ports in favor of the newer USB-C standard, but as you can see, this particular MacBook model is brimming with all kinds of ports: Ethernet, FireWire, USB, and more.
There’s also a History tab that will give you a basic lowdown on that model. Here, you get an idea of where it fits in the evolution of the MacBook line, and that this configuration was pretty high-end at the time.
Finally, the Notes tab lets you jot down any comments you have and provides product links so you can check out any relevant support information.
Best of all, if you click the image of the Mac you’re reviewing, it will play that model’s startup sound.
That gives you a good idea of the wealth of information Mactracker contains, but it covers far more than just Macs. It’s veritable treasure trove of Apple hardware history. If you’re an Apple collector or enthusiast, then it’s an excellent source of information. Not only does it cover your run-of-the-mill Macs, but all Apple devices and even operating systems.
For example, if you’ve ever wanted learn all there is to know about Apple’s early attempts at a PDA, then Mactracker has all there is to know about the Newton MessagePads.
Mactracker also has a timeline feature, so you can view Apple’s products by year.
Or, you can view all of Apple’s current offerings.
What about if you want to see which of Apple’s peripherals have or have had USB ports? That’s easy, just set up a Smart Category and you can define whatever criteria you want.
Finally, you can keep your own Apple inventory using the My Models feature. Simply input all the information pertinent to you equipment and you can be your own Mactracker.
Once you start exploring and playing around, you’re liable to spend hours checking out all the stuff. Best of all, Mactracker is free and constantly updated. So, whether you have an interest for Mac notebooks, want to learn all there is about every iMac made, or you’re keen to know about Apple’s brief history making dot matrix printers, you will find it all in Mactracker.
