The Christmas Gift 2012 Guide

25/12/12 09:00 Filed in: Apple

Looking to buy an iPad mini as a gift? Want to buy a Mac in Ireland or the UK for Christmas?

We have put together our popular Christmas shopping guide again this year with our favourite Apple products, and we have recommended what we believe to be some of the best products and accessories.

Below are a few of our favourites, with links to the Apple Stores, so you can buy an item if you wish. You can also purchase these items in stores such as Compu b, Harvey Norman, Arnotts, and other stores listed on our Where to Buy pages. We recommend these products to our clients and own many of them ourselves:

The Best Macs

New iMac- 27 inch display : 2.9 GHz

1 TB of storage
8 GB RAM
large 27” screen
fast Intel i5 processor
Price: €1949
For full iMac range, click here
Why we like it: big screen; good storage and RAM amounts
Other option: the 27" version has the ultimate screen but a good consumer choice is the 21.5” model- great value at €1399

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or from Apple UK

Retina display MacBook Pro in Ireland & UK

New MacBook Pro- 13 inch with Retina Display: 2.5 GHz

128 GB of fast SSD storage
8 GB RAM
Good graphics card
fast Intel i5 processor
Price: €1799 / £1449
Why we like it: best compromise- middle sized screen, great speed
Note: when you go to order you can change the SSD drive to a bigger size. This Mac does not have s Superdrive

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

New MacBook Air- 11 inch: 1.7 GHz

64 GB of fast SSD storage
4 GB RAM
fast Intel i5 processor
the lightest and smallest Mac laptop ever produced
Price: €1099 / £849
Why we like it: light, fast and incredibly thin
Note: when you go to order you can double the RAM. Also note that this Mac does not have s Superdrive- but an external one can be purchased

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

Best iPods

iPod nano 16GB models

2.5 inch touch screen interface
new Apple EarPods
30hr battery life
Built in FM radio with Live Pause
Nike + iPod kit built in
product RED model also available
choice of 8 colours, inc. PRODUCT Red
Price: €169 / £129
Why we like it: good price- we love the touch screen and FM Radio

Other option: the iPod touch if you want to use the App Store and browse the thousands of available apps
Note: laser engraving is available for free

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

iPod shuffle

Only costs €49 / £40
8 colours available
2GB storage: 1000 songs
Why we like it: very cheap iPod- bargain price
Note: engraving is available for free

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

Best Pads

iPad mini 16GB 3G/4G

Apple’s new mini touch-tablet computer
Connect to the internet using WiFi or 3G [or 4G in UK]
16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions available
Choice of two colours- white & silver or black & slate
Compatible with ANY carrier- the iPad comes SIM free, and you can insert any micro-SIM from any carrier
Price for 16GB model: €339 / £269
Why we like it: great size and the mini will run all apps which are available for the larger iPad
Other option: the 16GB WiFi-only model is also a good choice if you have no plans to use a SIM card
Note: the Apple Smart cover is a great accessory

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

iPad with retina Display 16GB 3G/4G

Apple’s touch-tablet computer
Connect to the internet using WiFi or 3G [or 4G in UK]
16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions available
Choice of two colours- white or black
Compatible with ANY carrier- the iPad comes SIM free, and you can insert any micro-SIM from any carrier
Price for 16GB+3G model: €639 / £499
Why we like it: stunning display- we also like the 3G model as you can insert a SIM if you wish, but don’t have to sign up for a binding contract
Other option: the 16GB WiFi-only model is also a good choice if you have no plans to use a SIM card
Note: the Apple Smart Case is a great accessory

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

Things We Like

Apple TV

Watch your iTunes movies on your TV
Rent HD movies over the internet
View your iPhoto pictures or play your iTunes music on your TV
Price: €109 / £99

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK

Apple Magic Trackpad

Touch sensitive slate, adding multi-touch to your Mac
Great for use with the new Mac OS X Mountain Lion 10.8, with multi-touch gestures
Price: €70 / £59

Buy direct from Apple Ireland or Apple UK