Working as a part time technician at an Apple Authorized Reseller, I have to check the Mac model from time to time especially inquiries over the phone. For example, when a client phone in and would like to ask for some service on his/her Mac, however, I will need to check the detail information first before I answer questions. For the most current models, of course I could just answer by what I could remember; yet most of the Macs need to be serviced on  are about 2+ years old and I am not too sure about the detail any more.

Usually I will use a website called EveryMac.com; they have all the detail information I need. I an search the Mac model by searching the series, year of manufacturing, processor and some other various methods which I don’t use that often. The only problem is that this source is web-based; I’ve had a problem before that the internet speed is extremely slow and I couldn’t get the web fully loaded. This will create some problems especially if the client has a tight time frame.

My co-worker introduced a very great software to me today which is Mactracker. You could download the software from Mactracker’s official website. (Mactracker also has PC version.)

Let’s take a look what Mactracker could do for me to replace the need to go on EveryMac.com:

1. Of course, the search

If you already know some of the Mac model you are going to check, then just simply combine them together and browse them on the side panel. Like if I know the machine was released in 2008 and it’s a 20inch iMac, then you just need to click on the iMac folder and check the models labeled 2005. Or if you know the processor’s speed and/or model, there is a search filed on the top right corner of the main interface, result will come up instantly as you type.

2. The Benchmarking

Usually for the same model, there will be different specifications, and price obviously. You might want to know whether it is worth it to do the upgrade, by just take a look at the differences in benchmarking that Mactracker provide. All the data are not the theoretic guessing numbers; instead, they are from Primate Labs Geekbench and the average data from what all the end users submitted.

3. The About My Mac

You probably know you could find your Mac model number under “About My Mac”, however, if you want to get the detail info, you will still need to write the model number and check it on EveryMac.com. With Mactracker, you could just check in by clicking the “This Mac” on the side panel. The one I was using was iMac 20″ Early 2008 model, but Mactracker shows two, 20 inch and 24 inch; I guess they have the very similar information stored or maybe Mactracker still doesn’t have enough data to tell the different between these two model? Well, maybe only the screen size is different.

4. The price

EveryMac.com doesn’t really have the price info online, but Mactracker shows the original retail price of the Macs. The better thing is that prices are in 4 different languages so you could choose the one you know the best and make your mental comparison. The four currencies are Canadian dollars, euros, pounds sterling, and United States dollars.

5. The chime sound and Mac icon

I like this part the most. Mac exist before I was even born; there is no way I could have possibly seen all the Mac and listen to the sound they boot up with, the Starup Chime. With Mactracker, you could see the thumb nail size picture of the Mac models and you could even hear the Startup Chime. For some of the old models, there are also “Death Chime” which are quite nice to me actually.Without even the need to go online, I could definitely search the correct model of Macs much faster. Plus it includes so many more neat functions that I couldn’t see on websites. Oh, by the way, Mactracker has an iPhone version too; you could download it from here. And you could not just track the information for Macs; you could also search the information for your iPhone, iPods, Apple TV and even software.