Whether you’re going in for advice at the Apple Store, shopping online for new software or at a cocktail party talking about your favorite computer, someone is bound to ask you some questions about the technical specs of your Apple.  These questions could sound like: “Are you a ‘Tiger’ or a ‘Leopard,’” “Do you have the latest version of the OS,” or maybe “Which processor are you running?” 

All of this is important information, but maybe not something you necessarily commit to memory.  There is, however, a quick and easy way to see a lot of this information without needing a degree in Computer Science to understand it.  In the Menu Bar, go to the Apple and choose About this Mac.  This is going to pop up a little window that tells you some basic information right off the bat.

VERSION:  This is telling you which OS you’re running and how recent it is.  In the number, the number after the first period tells you which ‘cat’ you are.  Here’s the scheme

10.0 – Cheetah

10.1 – Puma

10.2 – Jaguar

10.3 – Panther

10.4 – Tiger

10.5 – Leopard

10.6 – Snow Leopard (coming soon)

The number after the second period let’s you know how many times the OS been updated since they made the first version.  The current OSX version is 10.5.7.  If you’re a Leopard with a lower number than that, you should click the Software Update button and the let computer get the updates from Apple.  If you’re a Tiger, no amount of updating is going to make you a Leopard and you may want to consider buying the upgrade.

If you click directly on the text of the Version Number, you can cycle through some other useful information including the Serial Number for your machine.

Under the Software Update button, we see three more fields:  Processor, Memory and Startup Disk.

PROCESSOR: The processor is the brain of the computer and determines how fast it can do things.  This is not an item you ‘upgrade’ on an older machine, just like your brain, you got what you got.

MEMORY: Mostly people will refer to this as RAM.  The more RAM you have the quicker the computer can change the task its working on and/or can think about more things at the same time.  With more RAM, you can leave more applications open at the same time without compromising performance of the one in the foreground.  RAM can be upgraded at any time.

STARTUP DISK: Is just telling you what hard drive the machine boots from.  Generally this is going to say Macintosh HD.

If you need more, in depth information like the make of your Superdrive, information about your graphics card or other specific hardware info, click on the ‘More Info’ button and you’ll see listings of all the bits and pieces of your computer.

So, when you’re considering a software upgrade and need to know how much RAM or what Processor you have OR when you’re at a party and someone asks if you’re a Tiger or a Leopard, don’t get intimidated, just tell them ‘About This Mac.’

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