How to pick the perfect iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod, Mac, or Apple TV for your or yours!
Apple has several different—and sometimes overlapping—product lines these days. What's more, within each line are more affordable and more fully featured options. If you're looking for an iPhone or an iPod, an iPad or a Mac, an Apple Watch or an Apple TV, either for yourself or for a family member, friend, or colleague, here's everything you need to know!
| iPhones | iPads | Apple Watch | iPods | Macs | Apple TV |
iPhones
The iPhone is the phone everyone wants. Whether it's the latest, greatest iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, the still 4-inch iPhone 5s, or the pop-art inspired iPhone 5c, these days there really is an iPhone for everyone.
iPhone buyers guide
iPhone 6
Pros: 4.7-inch Retina display. Shoots 8mp photos and takes 1080p 60fps videos. 16, 64, and 128GB options. Apple Pay. Available in space gray, silver, and gold. Runs iOS, can play audio and video, read ebooks, and runs over a million App Store apps and games.
Cons: None.
Status: Will likely be replace by an iPhone 6s in September.
Bottom-line: The go-to iPhone for almost everyone.
More: iPhone 6 review
Starting at $199 on contract - Buy now
iPhone 6 Plus
Pros: 5.5-inch 1080p Retina display. Shoots 8mp photos and takes 1080p 60fps videos. 16, 64, and 128GB options. Apple Pay. Available in space gray, silver, and gold. Runs iOS, can play audio and video, read ebooks, and runs over a million App Store apps and games.
Cons: Might be too large for some.
Status: Will likely be replace by an iPhone 6s Plus in September.
Bottom-line: As much tiny-tablet as big phone, the iPhone 6 Plus can be the best of both.
More: iPhone 6 Plus review
Starting at $299 on contract - Buy now
iPhone 5s
Pros: 4-inch Retina display. Shoots 8mp photos and takes 1080p videos. 16GB and 64GB options. Available in space gray/black, silver/white, or gold/white. 64-bit Apple A7 chipset with Apple M7 coprocessor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Runs iOS, can play audio and video, read ebooks, and runs over one million App Store apps and games.
Cons: 1-year old chipset. No Apple Pay. Might be too small for some.
Status: Will likely be price-dropped and replaced with an iPhone 6-class phone this September.
Bottom line: For those who prefer a smaller phone or really want to save $100.
More: iPhone 5s review, iPhone 5s buyers guide
$99 on contract - Buy now
iPhone 5c
Pros: 4-inch Retina display. Shoots 8mp photos and takes 1080p videos. Available in white, pink, green, blue, and yellow. Runs iOS, can play audio and video, read ebooks, and runs over a million App Store apps and games.
Cons: No Touch ID. 2-year old chipset. 8GB only.
Status: Will likely be discontinued and replaced with an iPhone 5s-class phone this September.
Bottom-line: 8GB of storage makes it impossible to recommend, even at free-on-contract.
More: iPhone 5c review
$0 on contract, $449 off contract - Buy now
iPad
iPads are the personal computer made even more personal. With a large multitouch screen, hundreds of thousands of tablet-optimized apps, and options for both Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, they may not be as powerful as Macs, but they can be even more empowering.
iPad buyers guide
iPad Air 2
Pros: 9.7-inch laminated screen. Shoots 8mp photos and takes 1080p videos. 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB options. Available in space gray, silver, or gold. Plays audio and video, reads ebooks. Runs iOS, all App Store apps, including hundreds of thousands of tablet-specific iPad apps. Cellular/LTE available.
Cons: None.
Status: Will likely be replaced with an iPad Air 3 or iPad Pro in October.
Bottom line: Incredible display and cutting edge power make it the best iPad ever.
More: iPad Air 2 review
Starting at $499 - Buy now
iPad Air
Pros: 9.7-inch screen. Shoots 5mp photos and takes 1080p videos. 16GB and 32GB options. Available in space gray or silver. Plays audio and video, reads ebooks. Runs iOS, all App Store apps, including hundreds of thousands of tablet-specific iPad apps. Cellular/LTE available.
Cons: 1 year old chipset, no Touch ID or Apple Pay.
Status: Will likely be price-dropped in October.
Bottom line: If you don't need Touch ID or Apple Pay, but do want a big screen, get the iPad Air.
More: iPad Air review.
Starting at $399 - Buy now
iPad mini 3
Pros: 7.9-inch Retina display. Shoots 5mp photos and takes 1080p videos. 16 and 32GB options. Touch ID and Apple Pay. Available in space gray, silver, and gold. Plays audio and video, reads ebooks. Runs iOS, all App Store apps, including over half-a-million tablet-specific iPad apps. Fits in purses, large jacket pockets. Cellular/LTE available.
Cons: 1-year old chipset. No laminated display.
Status: Will likely be replaced by an iPad mini 4 in October.
Bottom line: If portability matters to you most, get the iPad mini 3.
More: iPad mini 3 review
Starting at $399 - Buy now
iPad mini 2
Pros: 7.9-inch Retina display. Shoots 5mp photos and takes 1080p videos. 16 and 32GB options. Available in space gray and silver. Plays audio and video, reads ebooks. Runs iOS, all App Store apps, including over half-a-million tablet-specific iPad apps. Fits in purses, large jacket pockets. Cellular/LTE available.
Cons: 1-year old chipset, no Touch ID or Apple Pay.
Status: Will likely be price-dropped in October.
Bottom line: If you don't care about Touch ID or Apple Pay, the iPad Mini 2 is the same great tablet at a lower price.
More: iPad mini 2 review
Starting at $299 - Buy now
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is the opposite of other iOS devices—it's not about how much time you can immerse yourself in it, but how much time it can save you. For time keeping, notifications and communications, health and fitness tracking, remote control, and more, it's Apple's best product yet.
Apple Watch buyers guide
Apple Watch Sport
Pros: 38mm or 42mm OLED Retina display, heart rate sensor, available in silver and space gray aluminum with ion-x glass and white, black, blue, green, or pink fluoroelastomer sport band (swappable). Runs watchOS and Watch Apps, including built-in messaging, phone, mail, maps, calendar, wallet and Apple Pay, and much more.
Cons: Not as durable as stainless steel Apple Watch. Requires an iPhone 5 or later.
Status: Released April 2015.
Bottom line: The Apple Watch for the entry-level and athletes.
More: Apple Watch review
Starting at $349 - Buy now
Apple Watch
Pros: 38mm or 42mm OLED Retina display, heart rate sensor, available in polished or space black stainless steel and sapphire glass, with sport band, classic or modern buckle, leather or Milanese loop, or link bracelet (swappable). Runs watchOS and Watch Apps, including built-in messaging, phone, mail, maps, calendar, wallet and Apple Pay, and much more.
Cons: More expensive than sport. Requires an iPhone 5 or later.
Status: Released April 2015.
Bottom line: The Apple Watch for enthusiasts
More: Apple Watch review
Starting at $549 - Buy now
Apple Watch Edition
Pros: 38mm or 42mm OLED Retina display, heart rate sensor, available in yellow and rose gold with sapphire glass and sport band or classic or modern buckle (swappable). Runs watchOS and Watch Apps, including built-in messaging, phone, mail, maps, calendar, wallet and Apple Pay, and much more.
Cons: Not as durable as stainless steel. Luxury priced. Requires an iPhone 5 or later.
Status: Released April 2015.
Bottom line: The Apple Watch for jet-setters.
More: Apple Watch review
Starting at $10,000 - Buy now
iPods
iPods fall into two broad categories: the iPod touch, which is the smallest and least expensive way to get onto iOS and the App Store; and the iPods nano and shuffle, which provide traditional media playback capabilities in extremely portable form.
iPod touch
Pros: 4-inch Retina display. Apple A8 processor. Shoots 8mp photos and takes 1080p videos. 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB options. Available in space gray, silver, gold, pink, blue, and red (Apple Store exclusive). Runs iOS, can play audio and video, read ebooks, and runs millions of App Store apps and games.
Cons: No cellular option (3G/LTE). No Touch ID or Apple Pay. Smaller screen than iPhone or iPad line.
Status: Updated July 2015 with new colors.
Bottom line: If an iPhone and all its apps would be perfect but you just don't want or need a phone, get the even thinner, lighter, smaller iPod touch.
Starting at $299 - Buy now
iPod nano
Pros: 2.5-inch multitouch display. 16GB of storage. Includes apps for music, podcasts, video, exercise (pedometer, Nike+). Includes Bluetooth and FM radios. Available in space gray, gold, silver, pink, blue, and product red (Apple Store exclusive). Weighs only 31 grams. Costs only $149.
Cons: Requires a tethered connection to a Windows or Mac PC running iTunes to transfer audio files and playlists. No Wi-Fi, no iCloud. Built-in apps only, no iOS, App Store. No 32GB option. No Apple Music.
Status: Updated July 2015 with new colors.
Bottom line: If an iPod touch is just too much, and all you want is a good amount of audio and video to keep you company at the gym, on a run, or on a trip, in the absolute smallest, lightest package available, get the iPod nano.
$149 - Buy now
iPod shuffle
Pros: 2GB of storages (enough for hundreds of songs), 15 hours of battery life. Convenient clip, available in space gray, gold, silver, pink, blue, and product red (Apple Store exclusive). Weighs on 12.5 grams, costs only $49.
Cons: Requires a tethered connection to a Windows or Mac PC running iTunes to transfer audio files and playlists. No screen, no videos, no apps. Not compatible with Apple Music.
Status: Updated July 2015 with new colors.
Bottom line: Whether you're exercising or traveling, if you want just enough music, podcasts, and audiobooks to get you through your workout or work day, and you don't want an Apple Watch, get the iPod shuffle.
$49 - Buy now
Macs
Apple makes a wide range of traditional computers, from laptop to desktop, from entry-level to state-of-the-art. For anyone who wants or needs everything a keyboard and mouse driven machine has to offer, there's a great Mac gift waiting.
Mac buyers guide
MacBook
Pros: 12-inch Retina display. Intel CoreM processor. USB C port. Up to Core i7. Up to 8GB of RAM. Up to 512GB of flash storage. Runs OS X and full desktop-class software. Weighs only 2 lbs. 9 hours of battery life. Force Touch trackpad.
Cons: Only one port, SD iSight camera, minimal travel on keyboard.
Bottom line: The closest Mac to an iPad, for those who want portability above all else.
More: MacBook review
Starting at $1299 - Buy now
MacBook Air
Pros: 11 or 13-inch screen. Intel i5 or i7 processors. USB 3 and ThunderBolt ports. Up to Core i7. Up to 8GB of RAM. Up to 512GB of flash storage. Runs OS X and full desktop-class software. Weighs only 2.38 or 2.96lbs. 9 or 12 hours of battery life.
Cons: No Retina display. No Force Touch trackpad. No high-powered graphics options.
Status: Updated March 2015 to Intel Haswell platform.
Bottom line: If you want something portable but still need to be able to run Office, Photoshop, Xcode, etc., get a MacBook Air. If you need maximum portability, get the 11-inch model. If you need more pixels, get the 13-inch model.
More: MacBook Air buyers guide
Starting at $899 - Buy now
MacBook Pro
Pros: 13- or 15-inch Retina displays. Dual-core i5 or quad-core i7 processors. USB 3 and ThunderBolt 2 ports. Up to 16GB of RAM. Up to 1TB of flash storage. 9 to 10 hours of batter life. AMD Radeon graphics option. Weighs only 3.48 or 4.49 lbs. Force Touch trackpad.
Cons: Less battery life. Heavier.
Status: 13-inch updated in March 2015 to Intel Broadwell platform, 15-inch updated in May 2015 but remains on Intel Haswell platform.
Bottom line: If you want desktop performance in a laptop, get the MacBook Pro.
More: MacBook Pro buyers guide
Starting at $1299 - Buy now
Mac Mini
Pros: Dual-core i5 or i7 processors. USB 3, Ethernet, HDMI, Thunderbolt 2, USB 3 ports. 2GB, 8GB, or 16GB of RAM. Up to 1TB of flash or Fusion drive.
Cons: Requires separate display. No internal expansion ports. No more quad-core option.
Bottom line: If you want a Mac for your server rack or home server closet, to add to an existing PC setup, or to use as a home theater, get a Mac mini.
More: Mac mini buyers guide
$499 - Buy now
iMac
Pros: 21.5- and 27-inch displays. Quad-core i5 or quad-core i7 processors. 8GB to 32 GB of RAM. Conventional hard drive, flash storage or Fusion Drive options up to 3 TB. Multiple graphics options. Ethernet, UBS 3, and ThunderBolt 2 ports. Retina 5K display option.
Cons: Only RAM can be internally upgraded.
Status: Updated May 2015 with lower cost Retina 5K options, still on Intel Haswell platform.
Bottom line: If you want an incredibly powerful Mac wrapped in an incredibly elegant design, get an iMac. If you want desktop Retina, get a Retina 5K iMac.
More: iMac buyers guide
Starting at $1099 - Buy now
Mac Pro
Pros: State-of-the-art computing. Up to 8-core Xeon E5 processor. Up to 64GB RAM. Up to dual AMD FirePro D700 graphics cards. Up to 1TB of flash storage. Up to three 4K displays, six Thunderbolt displays. 4x USB3, 6x Thunderbolt, 2x Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 1.4 UHD ports. 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0.
Cons: No more internal PCI card expansion - only RAM and SSD. OpenCL/GPU focused.
Status: Past due on an update.
Bottom line: If you need the Mac equivalent of Bugatti Veyron, you need a Mac Pro.
More: Mac Pro buyers guide
Starting at $2999 - Buy now
Apple TV
Pros: Incredibly easy to setup. Incredibly inexpensive. Includes on-board channels for iTunes TV, Movies, Music, Netflix, and many more, as well as the ability to AirPlay content from iOS or OS X devices.
Cons: Streaming-only. Only works with on-board channels and AirPlay. Hasn't been updated since Spring 2012.
Status: Relic from 2012. Will likely be replaced this fall with significantly updated hardware.
Bottom line: If all you want is the ability to stream content from Apple and their partners, and put what's on your Apple devices onto your big screen TV, all you need is an Apple TV
$69 - Buy now
Still have questions?
If you've already chosen the best iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iPod, Mac, or Apple TV for you or yours, let us know what you picked and how you like it. If you're still not sure which Apple products best suit your needs, head on over to our help and discussion forums or ask away in the comments!