Mactracker
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Daily App: Mactracker is a handy pocket guide to all things Mac
It's hard to believe that the Macintosh is 30 years old. To learn more about the venerable line of computers, you must make room on your iPhone, iPad or Mac for the Mactracker app from Ian Page. Mactracker is THE reference guide for the Mac, providing specifications and support details for every Apple Macintosh computer ever made. We've covered Mactracker over the past decade as it evolved from a Mac to an iPhone and then an iPad app, but on the anniversary of the Macintosh, it's worth taking another look. The tracker continues to be updated with new model information and updated support statuses for now obsolete models. It also tracks OS X and iOS versions as well as peripherals like Apple mice, keyboards and more. If it has an Apple label on it, it's likely in the Mactracker database. While the iOS version is a handy pocket reference, the OS X version of Mactracker has a few extra goodies like a "My Models" list that stores the models you own and tracks their warranty status. There's also a compare feature that allows you to compare the specifications or the differences between several Mac models at the same time. Mactracker is available for free from the iOS App Store and the Mac App Store.
Daily iPad App: Mactracker
We featured Mactracker as a Daily Mac App in 2011, and an iPhone version of the app has been around for a few years (with comparatively more sporadic updates). Mactracker is essentially the history of Apple hardware all in one app, or at least Apple from 1984 onward. It's a database containing detailed information on every Mac since the Macintosh 128k, every iPod and iOS device ever released, and even the weirder stuff Apple dabbled in during the 1990s like the QuickTake camera. More than just a trip down Mac memory lane, Mactracker also provides details on things like weight and dimensions, processor speed, storage, RAM, and even some benchmark data for several devices. It can be a great troubleshooting asset, or an instant source of info on what kind of RAM or hard drive your Mac will accept. The iPhone version of Mactracker recently got an update to version 2.0, and with that update the free app is now universal, with a brand-new iPad version. If you're familiar with the Mac version there won't be many surprises here, but the expanded screen real estate on the iPad makes Mactracker much more pleasant to use than the iPhone version. Mactracker for iPad is fully optimised for the new Retina Display, and it looks great. About the only feature it's missing is one the Mac version has: a place to input information on models you own. That's a very handy feature on Mactracker for Mac, and it's one I'd love to see added to the iPad version at some point. If you're interested in the minutiae of Macs gone by, Mactracker has always been a must-have. Now that this great new iPad version is out, it's even better. Go get it.
TUAW's Daily Mac App: Mactracker
If you're an Apple fan and you've owned several Macs over the years, but can't quite remember what specs that Power Mac G4 Cube had, or whether the late-2006 MacBook Pro came with a Core 2 Duo or the previous generation Core Duo? You need Mactracker. The ultimate in Apple product reference, Mactracker, which is also available for iOS, is a searchable database of specifications, prices, configurations, names and OS versions that covers everything Apple since the Macintosh XL from 1983. You've got all the Apple desktops, laptops, servers and OS iterations from System Software 2.0.1 to OS X, each with detailed entries recording their introduction, history and specifications. Each device has an icon showing you want they looked like too, just incase you've never seen one. Mactracker doesn't stop there though, all the hardware Apple has ever created is listed, from the humble iPod to cameras, scanners, mice, keyboards and more are listed. Want to know the dimensions of the Apple MessagePad 110? Or how long the Apple Color OneScanner 600/27 took to scan a page? Mactracker has you covered (that's 20 seconds per scan for those who are interested). You can browse listings by device, model and age, or using a timeline from 1983 through till the present. If you're looking for a particular strata of devices you can use Smart Categories using search terms like all models with a G5 processor. You can also set up a list of all the models you own or have owned, helping you keep track of AppleCare, serials, purchase dates and networks. Mactracker is available for free from the Mac App Store and is a must have for any Mac fan.
Mactracker app hits version 6.0
Mactracker has been a TUAW favorite for a while. For those of you not familiar with it, it's an application that lets you search a database of every Apple product ever made, including notebooks, iPods and even printers. Selecting an item shows you everything you could possibly want to know about it, whether it's the original memory it shipped with, the maximum OS it can take, or even the model's original cost in any number of currencies. The version 6.0 release includes the latest Apple hardware, a new user interface and in-window search. As you can imagine, if you're just curious about your Mac, Mactracker can answer most questions you have about its specs, but if you're an IT specialist, Mactracker is an invaluable tool. Mactracker 6.0 is a free download from the developer's website or on the Mac App Store.
Friday Favorite: Mactracker
Another Friday Favorite, our weekly opportunity to gush over one of our favorite apps.This week's favorite is a must-have reference for all Apple fans. Mactracker has been around for as long as I can remember and is indispensable. It provides exhaustive information on every Apple product, from the latest Xserve to the QuickTake 100. The iTunes-like UI keeps machines in categories like desktops, notebooks, devices, etc. Click any to reveal a chronological listing of hardware, sorted by folder. Finally, select any piece of hardware (or software) to receive a tremendous amount of information. Processor, RAM, release date, benchmarks and on and on. You can even listen to the startup chime where applicable. You can make smart folders and even keep track of the hardware you own. I love the built-in timeline, which lets you browse hardware by year of introduction. Best of all, as new hardware is added, Mactracker is updated.This great piece of freewawre is availabe for the Mac and iPhone/iPod touch [App Store link]. For me, it's indispensable.
Mactracker for iPhone and iPod Touch
As Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth would say, "Good news, everyone!" Mactracker has been updated to version 5.0 (we've written about Mactracker before) with new goodies, including Leopard compatibility New update engine iCal integration for tracking the warranty status of the Mac you own "iTunes Version" compatibility information to iPod models Plus, data has been added for the MacBook (13-inch Late 2007), iPod classic, iPod touch and more (you'll find the full release notes here). The best part is that iphone.mactracker.ca has been created for use with the iPod Touch and iPhone. Now, all the information you'll need lives online, just a click away.Mactracker requires Mac OS 10.3.9 or later (desktop version) and is freeware.
Uni version of Mactracker released
Everyone has their indispensable, go-to utilities for the Mac, but for my money (that is, no money at all) you can't find a better reference tool for vintage Mac support than Ian Page's obsessively complete Mactracker. As noted previously on TUAW, it's great for figuring out RAM requirements and OS compatibility for anything Apple has ever shipped out the warehouse door in Cupertino. One thing it hasn't been, up until now, is a Universal Binary. Since the REALBasic environment Ian uses started gracefully popping out those two-faced apps in early October, Mactracker has now caught up and the 4.1 release has all the Intel goodness one could wish.Read on for additional new features, courtesy of the Mactracker blog...
Mactracker reaches version 4
One of my all time favorite Mac applications, the great Mactracker, has reached version 4. Macktracker provides all the information you'd ever want on every Apple, Newton, iPod, Airport Basestation, Motorola, PowerComputing, and UMAX Mac OS computer ever made. Quickly find processor speed, memory type and capacity, supported Mac OS versions and a whole lot more. Changes in version 4 include smart categories and independent database updating. There's even an iPod version that travels with you. Mactracker 4 is free and requires Mac OS 8.5-9.2.2, Mac OS X 10.2 or later. If you've got a basement full of vintage Macs (like I do), this is a must have.
Mactracker updated to v3.0
Mactracker is one of those desert island applications for those of us who support Macs. It provides detailed information on all Apple systems ever made, plus stats on peripherals such as printers, displays, iPods, scanners, etc. Version 3.0 sports a new interface, new search functionality, integration with Mactracker for iPod, and more: Adds latest Apple hardware iApp-style user interface Ability to search most of the database Ability to attach files and Internet addresses to Resources tab Adds 64 x 64 model icons Adds Metric (SI) weight and dimension values Mactracker for iPod installed integrated (Mac OS X release) Other smaller changes
