If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re thinking about buying a new Mac and may be in need of a little guidance. Fortunately, we’re quite familiar with Apple’s Macs, and we’re happy to help you choose the right Mac for you.

This buying guide provides an overview of all the Mac models available, and what each model is best suited for. To get more details, you can read the full review for each Mac model by clicking the “Read our complete review” links.

What is it? The MacBook Air is Apple’s affordable line of laptops. It comes in two screen sizes: 11 inches (2.4 pounds) and 13 inches (3.0 pounds).

Who’s it for? The MacBook Air is ideal for the budget conscious. It’s also for anyone who is always on the go, doesn’t want to be bogged down by a regular-size laptop, and needs a computer that’s more versatile than an iPad.

What are the specifications? The four MacBook Airs have the same 1.6GHz dual-core Core i5 processor. The 11-inch models come standard with 4GB of RAM while the 13-inch models have 8GB of RAM. All MacBook Air models come with integrated Intel HD Graphics 6000 technology. Apple claims 9 hours wireless web/10 hours iTunes movie playback of battery life for the 11-inch models, and 12 hours for both wireless web and iTunes movie playback for the 13-inch models.

The main difference between the laptops is storage. The $899 11-inch model and the $999 13-inch model have 128GB of flash storage while the $1,099 11-inch model and the $1199 13-inch model have 256GB.

How do I connect stuff? The MacBook Air has built-in Wi-Fi for connecting to a network. It also provides built-in Bluetooth for wirelessly connecting a mouse or other peripheral. If you want to connect to an ethernet network, you’ll need a USB ethernet Adapter ($29 on the Apple Store).

Thunderbolt 2 is the MacBook Air’s high-speed connector. The laptop also has a pair of USB 3.0 ports, which can work with devices that use USB 2.0. If you have a FireWire 800 drive, you’ll need to buy a Thunderbolt-to-FireWire Adapter ($29 on the Apple Store).

How fast is it? The MacBook Air is quite capable of handling everyday tasks, such as sending and receiving email, browsing the Web, and using office applications. You can even use it for editing short videos, or for working with JPEGs from your iPhone or point-and-shoot camera.

The MacBook Air’s flash storage really helps the performance. For example, the MacBook Air outperforms the 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, which uses a hard drive (solid-state drives for the 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro are available for an additional cost).

Macworld’s buying advice: The MacBook Air is a great affordable laptop for someone who does general-purpose work and moves around a lot, such as a student or a self-employed person. Since the MacBook Air is at the lower end of Apple’s laptop lineup in terms of price, you won’t find the Retina display that’s on the Retina MacBook Pro or the MacBook. Also, you can’t easily upgrade the storage after purchase, so you should buy the model with the largest amount of storage you can afford. (After-market storage upgrades are available, but Apple does not provide support for such upgrades.)

Who’s it for? The MacBook is made for users who prioritize mobility over everything else, including features and performance.

What are the specifications? The MacBook comes in only one size: a 12-inch model available in rose gold, space gray, gold, or silver.

There are two models of the MacBook. The $1,299 model has a dual-core 1.1GHz Intel Core M processor and 256GB of flash storage. The $1,599 model has a dual-core 1.2GHz Intel Core M processor and 512GB of flash storage. Both models include 8GB of memory and an integrated Intel HD Graphics 515 processor.

The MacBook has a Retina display, which means it has an ultra-high resolution display that’s capable of showing crisper images than on the MacBook Air, which has a standard display. The MacBook has a native resolution of 2304x1440 and offers scaled resolutions of 1024x640, 1280x800, and 1440x900.

How do I connect stuff? The MacBook has Wi-Fi for connecting to a network and Bluetooth for your devices.

There’s only one USB-C port for connecting storage devices, printers, external displays, power adapters, or anything else. If you have older USB peripherals, you need to use a USB-C to USB adapter ($19 on the Apple Store) that will allow you to connect USB 3 and USB 2 devices to the MacBook. Want to connect to ethernet? You need the USB-C to USB adapter and the USB ethernet Adapter ($29 on the Apple Store). If you want to connect an HDMI display and USB devices, you need to get the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter ($79 on the Apple Store). Or if you want to connect a VGA display, you need the USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter ($79 on the Apple Store).

That being said, it can handle everything your typical user does on a daily basis. It can even handle some high-end, professional production tasks. It just won’t be the fastest to the finish line.

Macworld’s buying advice: The MacBook is for anyone who’s constantly on the go and seldom needs to connect devices—be prepared to carry a bunch of adapters if you have to make connections. The MacBook seems like a good indicator of what direction Apple plans to go with its laptop line: thinner with fewer connectors. Even if you decide not to go with a MacBook, it’s good to take a look at it and prepare yourself for what’s coming.