Mac buying guide: Which Apple computer to buy if you're a first timer, student, creative pro, or just about anyone else

So you've decided you want to delve into the world of Macs, but you've found that browsing the Apple website leaves you confused. On paper, everything kind of looks the same, eh?

Fret not — we here at Shortlist have compiled a simple buyer's guide to help first-time Mac buyers make the right decision when faced with the difficult choice between M4 chip, M4 chip, and... M4 chip.

You see, nowadays Apple silicon processors power every Mac on the market, and more than ever, the right choice comes down to the form factor you're most comfortable with.

That said, there are plenty of decisions to take into account when forking out a tasty sum of money on an Apple laptop or desktop computer, and sometimes making the choice almost feels impossible.

We've whittled down the Macs on offer at the Apple Store and selected the best picks for specific people, so you can get productive on your shiny new computer without spending days on end contemplating whether or not you've made the right purchase.

The best Mac for a budget-conscious student

The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop, and rightfully so. It combines a thin, portable form factor with excellent battery life and the M4 chip, which is capable of handling all of your daily tasks.

You'll notice most of the Macs on this list offer similar processors in their entry-level SKU, which makes the 13-inch MacBook Air the perfect pick for anyone starting out in higher education.

All Macs start with 16GB of RAM and 256GB SSD storage nowadays, so you no longer feel hard done by opting for the cheapest model of a device rather than upgrading specs.

The MacBook Air is perfect for throwing in your bag with university books or taking to a café to write an essay, making it the go-to Mac we'd recommend for most people.

If you're looking for a bigger laptop, the 15-inch M4 MacBook Air might just be the best Mac Apple sells, combining everything that makes some of the more expensive devices on this list so desirable with a more portable format. The 15-inch display is gorgeous, and despite being bigger in size than the next Mac on our list, it's still lighter.

Whether you opt for the 13-inch or 15-inch M4 MacBook Air, you'll be incredibly happy with your decision, and considering how cheap external SSDs and flash drives are these days, don't bother upgrading the internal storage.

Where the Air falls short, however, is in its lack of a fan, meaning that it can throttle if you're doing intensive tasks for long periods of time. Luckily, if you're a programmer or do lots of graphic design work, Apple has another laptop that should do the trick...

The best Mac for the creative professional

When you think of a MacBook, you probably think of the MacBook Pro. While the name would imply that it's made for professionals, in the past, many have flocked to the more premium Apple laptop because it often just feels like the right thing to do.

Nowadays, the gap between the aforementioned MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is smaller than ever, but that doesn't mean everyone should opt for the cheaper Air over the more expensive Pro device.

If you work on the go and need access to intensive editing programs like Adobe Photoshop or Premiere Pro, you'll have a much better time getting things done on the MacBook Pro.

Available in two sizes, a 14-inch and a 16-inch option, the MacBook Pro is perfect for the power-conscious and those who want a computer that can blaze through every task they throw at it.

Both sizes come as standard with 512GB of storage, and you can upgrade the RAM all the way up to 128GB of RAM (although I'm not sure anyone reading this guide will need that).

The 14-inch model is the ideal MacBook format, and if you dock it at home to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, you get the best of both portability and power.

The MacBook Pro is available with the M4 chip as well as an M4 Pro option and the most powerful Apple silicon processor on the market, the M4 Max.

If you're looking to choose a MacBook Pro over a MacBook Air, I'd opt for the 14-inch M4 Pro with 24GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. If you're contemplating the standard M4, then why not save some cash and purchase an Air instead?

The best Mac for a chaotic family

The iMac is Apple's most gorgeous computer on the market right now. I mean, just look at it! There are seven colours to choose from and it looks perfect on any desk in your home.

This all-in-one solution is the ideal first Mac for a family, combining ease of use with design. In the box, you get a Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse (there's also an option to opt for a Magic Trackpad), and the computer only requires one single cable to power on.

Lots of people get put off desktop computers because they think they take up loads of space, lead to a cable management nightmare, and run hot, making your room feel like a sauna in the summer. The iMac solves all of these problems, while still allowing you to get all of your work done.

If you've got kids in school and want a Mac for everyone in the family to use when work needs to get done, the M4 iMac and its colourful design options are the perfect choice.

Just like every other Mac on this list, you won't be able to upgrade the internal storage or processor of the iMac at a later date. That said, even the base model is well-suited to last you well into the future as your trusty home computer.

The best Mac for a power-hungry user

The Mac Studio, when fully specced out, is the most powerful computer Apple currently sells, and for those that need the very best of what's available on the market, it's hard to look past it.

To be perfectly honest, anyone contemplating a purchase of the Mac Studio probably knows exactly what they want from a computer and exactly what model to look for.

That said, you could argue that for some people looking at a MacBook Pro M4 Max who don't require portability, the entry-level Mac Studio could be the play.

The Mac Studio is one of, if not the, most customisable product on this list, and you can select between the M4 Max and M3 Ultra processors depending on your needs (the latter supports a whopping eight displays simultaneously).

There's not really much to say about the Studio; it's an excellent desktop computer in a tiny package and will make anyone who truly needs the power on offer here very happy. However, if you're unlikely to use your computer to make the next Pixar movie, there's an arguably better, more affordable option below...

The best Mac for someone switching from Windows

Last but not least, the Mac mini is the best value Apple computer you can buy right now. It's tiny, it's efficient, and it's available for £599 (often found under £500 during sales).

The Mac mini is the perfect option for anyone looking to switch from a Windows desktop, and already has access to all the peripherals you need for a computer.

If you already own a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, the Mac mini is a no-brainer upgrade that can give you access to the Apple ecosystem without truly breaking the bank.

The best value option here is the base model, which has 16GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, as it allows you to use macOS on a budget, and thanks to the M4 chip inside will last the test of time.

By the time you want to upgrade, you're better off selling the Mac mini and buying another base model rather than forking out more money initially for higher storage or more RAM. Trust me, if you're going down the mini route, the base model is the way.

In all my years using Mac computers, my favourite has always been the Apple silicon Mac mini. There's something truly magical about getting access to the best that Apple has to offer without that feeling that you've overspent.

Don't overlook the Mac mini, it's cheap and cheerful, but it's also straight up awesome.

macOS 26 Tahoe

There's never been a better time to buy a Mac, thanks to macOS 26 Tahoe, which is set for release in the next few months. The new software update is the biggest UI redesign we've seen for Apple computers in recent memory, bringing what the company calls Liquid Glass to the Mac.

Liquid Glass adds a level of transparency to icons and programs we've never seen before, and it truly makes your Mac come to life in a whole new way. The upcoming software is completely free and will run on any of the Macs mentioned in this guide, and if you don't want to wait until later in the year to install it, the public beta is one of the smoothest we've tested in years.

macOS 26 Tahoe also adds more Apple Intelligence functionality to the Mac, including new powerful shortcut capabilities that let you tap into Apple's AI large language models to get tasks done quicker than before.

Apple wants users to experience a computer operating system that feels as intuitive as the one found on your iPhone, and macOS 26 Tahoe feels like the first time in a very long time that care and thought have been put into achieving exactly that.

There's never been a better time to switch from Windows

Many users are upset at the need to upgrade their PCs to Windows 11, which is infamously buggy, littered with bloat, and just generally frustrating to use.

If you've been putting off upgrading to Windows 11 and now are met with no choice, maybe it's time to join the dark side and give an Apple Mac a try.

For many, the Mac is the epitome of powerful computing, and while the prices are often more expensive than their PC counterparts, you seriously get what you pay for.

In fact, the iWork suite, the Mac's equivalent to Microsoft Office, comes preinstalled on any Apple computer you buy - and that's just one of many ways the price of a Mac redeems itself (you'll also never need to buy an antivirus again).

If you're on the fence about purchasing a new Windows PC or trying out your first Mac, take it from me: "Get a Mac".

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