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July 15, 2015By Max Buondonno - Chief EditorA little over 4 months ago, Apple announced at it's March event it's brand-new MacBook, complete with a beautiful 13.1 mm thick design, 12 inch Retina display. Force Touch trackpad, and a choice between 3 colors all corresponding to the color variations of their iPhones and iPads. But with the lack of speedy processors, the infamous single USB-Type C port, and 480p webcam, it's driving consumers toward a more powerful machine $1299 can buy. So if you're one of those people that needs more bang for your buck but is still in the market for a Mac, here are 3 Macs you can buy for $1299 that meet today's standards.
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Option 1: 13-Inch MacBook Air (2015) [Upgraded Model with 256 GB Storage]
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-air?aid=www-k2-macbook+air+-+index-n%2540b&cp=k2-macbook+air+-n%2540b&product=MJVG2LL/A&step=config#
This MacBook is built for the person who needs an ultra portable notebook but still needs the power of a professional laptop. This isn't exactly the "Ralph Lauren" of designs with its thick silver bezels, but aside from that it gets the job done for most consumers. Complete with a 1.6 Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics, an all-day battery, and 256 GB of flash storage. Add on an additional 4 GB of memory to the already packed-in 4 GB for a total of 8 GB, and you've got yourself a nice and speedy computer.
Total cost (including added memory): $1299
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-air?aid=www-k2-macbook+air+-+index-n%2540b&cp=k2-macbook+air+-n%2540b&product=MJVG2LL/A&step=config#
This MacBook is built for the person who needs an ultra portable notebook but still needs the power of a professional laptop. This isn't exactly the "Ralph Lauren" of designs with its thick silver bezels, but aside from that it gets the job done for most consumers. Complete with a 1.6 Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics, an all-day battery, and 256 GB of flash storage. Add on an additional 4 GB of memory to the already packed-in 4 GB for a total of 8 GB, and you've got yourself a nice and speedy computer.
Total cost (including added memory): $1299
Option 2: 13-Inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (2015)
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=MF839LL/A&step=config#
The MacBook Pro is great for anyone who needs a portable laptop but needs powerful specs and performance for video editing, photo editing, or any heavy task. Featuring a 2.7 Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics, 128 GB of flash storage, and a 10-Hr battery. Obviously, these are much higher-quality specs than the MacBook Air just stated, so if you want that extra power and awareness that your new computer can be your main computer, this could be the one for you.
Total cost: $1299
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=MF839LL/A&step=config#
The MacBook Pro is great for anyone who needs a portable laptop but needs powerful specs and performance for video editing, photo editing, or any heavy task. Featuring a 2.7 Ghz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of memory, Intel Iris Graphics, 128 GB of flash storage, and a 10-Hr battery. Obviously, these are much higher-quality specs than the MacBook Air just stated, so if you want that extra power and awareness that your new computer can be your main computer, this could be the one for you.
Total cost: $1299
Option 3: 21.5 inch iMac (Upgraded Model)
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac?product=ME086LL/A&step=config#
Perfect for anyone that needs a desktop computer with high-end specs, great performance, beautiful design, and a fair price tag. Aside from the base line model, this upgraded iMac comes with a 2.7 Ghz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of memory, Intel Iris Pro Graphics, and a 1 TB hard drive. With this computer, you're getting the best of both worlds: a high-end computer with a low-end price.
Total cost: $1299
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac?product=ME086LL/A&step=config#
Perfect for anyone that needs a desktop computer with high-end specs, great performance, beautiful design, and a fair price tag. Aside from the base line model, this upgraded iMac comes with a 2.7 Ghz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of memory, Intel Iris Pro Graphics, and a 1 TB hard drive. With this computer, you're getting the best of both worlds: a high-end computer with a low-end price.
Total cost: $1299
At the end of the day, any one of these Macs can be more appealing to the consumer's eye than the 12-inch MacBook. But no doubt, Apple will perfect their thin-and-light notebook with greater specs in the next generation, so expect an improved version of this laptop in the near future.
