Apple

Apple has a diverse and rather powerful range of Mac computers, but the star of the lineup has arguably been the MacBook Air range. Introduced rather iconically when Steve Jobs pulled it out of a manila envelope in 2008, the MacBook Air has gone on to become one of Apple's most popular Mac products — not just for its size and slimness, but also because it's usually been the entry-level laptop in the brand's laptop range over the years. It has also become the ideal 'small laptop' for most users who aren't necessarily looking for a very powerful or expensive work machine.

In 2020, Apple introduced the first MacBook Air with its own M1 SoC, and followed up in 2022 with the redesigned version featuring the M2 processor. In both of these cases, the MacBook Air remained around the 13-inch mark for screen size, although the 2022 version did implement design changes that made it more closely resemble the more expensive MacBook Pro devices.

The Apple HomePod range of smart speakers may not be the obvious choice in the category for many buyers, because of its very obvious ecosystem-based optimisations. However, those who are suitably invested in Apple's hardware will see some benefit to this, particularly the ease with which the smart speaker is able to link and work with other Apple devices. The original HomePod was launched globally in 2018, and five years later it finally sees a successor which promises better features and performance.