Giving an Apple Gift? Check the Specs Twice!

ByMike Moffit

Santa’s making a list, but checking his specs twice, and so should you! Whether you’re giving or receiving an Apple product this holiday, it’s important to double check its compatibility with either your own machine or the recipient’s. Though Apple has been praised for allowing legacy support across their hardware line, the gap has been steadily closing as mobile devices advance beyond the scope of some of the machines previously able to sync with them. For example, the iPad requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 Leopard to sync, which in turn requires at least an 867MHz Power PC G4 processor. When you consider that the iPad itself contains a speedy 1GHz A4 processor, it’s understandable why it isn’t compatible with some older G3 and G4 machines.

Unfortunately for some legacy Mac users looking to use the latest hardware this holiday, a CPU upgrade may be in order. As it currently stands, the only 100% guarantee that your machine will support all of the latest Apple hardware and software is if it is Intel based. Though the last wave of Power PC G4/G5 machines technically offer support for many of Apple’s portables, they cannot be upgraded to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Though you’ve probably purchased all of your gifts by now…wait, you have right? We’ve complied a list of current Apple hardware and software and listed the necessary specs to support it. All products listed are of the current generation.

iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch:

  • Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
  • Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
  • iTunes 10 or later
  • Internet access is required; broadband recommended; fees may apply.

iPod Classic:

  • Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later
  • Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
  • iTunes 9 or later

iPhone 4:

  • Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
  • Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
  • iTunes 9.2 or later
  • iTunes Store account
  • Internet access is required; broadband recommended; fees may apply.

iPad:

  • Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
  • Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
  • iTunes 9.1 or later
  • iTunes Store account
  • Internet access is required; broadband recommended; fees may apply.

Apple TV:

  • An HDTV with 1 free HDMI port
  • HDMI Cable
  • Wi-Fi or Ethernet network
  • iTunes Store account for renting movies and TV shows
  • Netflix account for streaming Netflix content
  • For streaming media from a Mac or PC: iTunes 10.1 or later; iTunes Store account for Home Sharing.

Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard:

  • Mac computer with an Intel processor
  • 1GB of memory
  • 5GB of available disk space
  • DVD drive for installation
  • Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
  • Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.

Mac Box Set:

  • Mac computer with an Intel processor
  • 1GB of memory (2GB recommended)
  • 12GB of available disk space
  • DVD drive for installation
  • Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
  • Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.

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