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New to this so go easy on me. :o) [iMac or MBP]

L

Lowey10

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 18, 2014
9
0
Kent, UK
Ok so here goes, im looking to buy either the iMac or the Macbook Pro, any recommendations and which spec should i go for, this will be mainly used for Itunes, photos, videos, emails so nothing too stressful for the machine.
Should i be purchasing the latest model or will the older ones suffice?
 
Lowey10 said:
Ok so here goes, im looking to buy either the iMac or the Macbook Pro, any recommendations and which spec should i go for, this will be mainly used for Itunes, photos, videos, emails so nothing too stressful for the machine.
Should i be purchasing the latest model or will the older ones suffice?
Click to expand...

For what you plan to do just about any machine will do. If you can answer the following it might help people give a an informed decision.
Do you need portability?
Do you plan to use an external monitor?
How much storage space do you need/want?
How long do you plan to keep it for?
How much do you want to spend?
 
Ok cheers fanboy, told you i was new to this game.
Do you need portability? Not really
Do you plan to use an external monitor? no
How much storage space do you need/want? prob 1TB
How long do you plan to keep it for? 5+ years
How much do you want to spend? £800 - £1300
 
Based on your answers, it looks as though the iMac is better suited for what you will be using it for.

I'm a noob when it comes to Mac's as well. I just recently bought a Mac Mini 2012. I really like it's small footprint and it is a little powerhouse for the price.

Enjoy your new Mac once you get it. They are pretty versatile, that is for sure.
 
Cheers Butchie-T, to be honest i think its the iMac all the way as thats what the wife wants but id like a Macbook too, are there any decent deals out there for older models at all?
 
Lowey10 said:
Cheers Butchie-T, to be honest i think its the iMac all the way as thats what the wife wants but id like a Macbook too, are there any decent deals out there for older models at all?
Click to expand...

Deals can be found but, for the most part, they will be in a secondary market. One thing I have noticed in my short exposure to Mac products. Once Apple rolls out a newer version of "x" the older versions pretty much dissapear from the shelves. You may just be better off biting the "bullet" and going with a new device and the AppleCare if you can fit it into the budget.
 
Id love to buy both but not sure i can hide one of the purchases from the wife, not that common than Apple do the 2 for 1 offer. ;o)
Is Applecare a neccessity?
 
Lowey10 said:
Id love to buy both but not sure i can hide one of the purchases from the wife, not that common than Apple do the 2 for 1 offer. ;o)
Is Applecare a neccessity?
Click to expand...

I guess for me it is. Gives me peace of mind. I like the idea of the extended warranty, for the 3 years. A nice insurance policy.

Is it a neccessity? Probably not. It depends on your individual level of comfort. I, personally, like that it is there and will spend the extra coin for it. YMMV.
 
Lowey10 said:
Is Applecare a neccessity?
Click to expand...

No. Consider:
  • It's insurance (and profitible for the provider). So if you can afford the consequences of not having it, in the long run you will be better off.
  • Failures are most likely to occur when the system is new or at end of life, so AppleCare is actually covering the years most likely to have no problems.
  • You can decide anytime in the first year if you want it. No reason to buy right away.
  • While it provides free phone support after 90 days, as insurance it's only good for years 2 and 3 of ownership. In Europe don't you get 2 years warranty anyway? So it's only really good for year 3 of ownership.
  • As a plus -- if you sell the computer, the AppleCare coverage goes with it, which increases the resale value.
 
Do you have a current desktop?
If so consider the Mac Mini.
You could likely use the same monitor, keyboard and mouse thus saving on the initial cost. You can always upgrade those pieces as time passes.
AppleCare has greater value for a MBP that moves around. If your Mac is going to be stationary I would probably pass on AppleCare.
Storage solutions are simpler for a computer that will be stationary. You can always just plug in an external drive (USB3 is quite satisfactory for most users).
+1 on checking the Apple Refurbished Store.
Don’t forget to budget for a backup strategy.
 
Cheers everybody for your advice, much appreciated.

----------

What do you mean by budget for a backup strategy?
 
Lowey10 said:
What do you mean by budget for a backup strategy?
Click to expand...

Protect your data by having a backup.
Maybe an external drive using Time Machine (TM) or Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) or SuperDuper (SD)
Or maybe Cloud storage
Or maybe USB Thumb Drives
But .... something ....
 
do you need to travel with it? If the answer is yes get the macbook if no then get the iMac.

Also why not a Macbook air for $900 for 13 inch and a 50 buck 1tb external drive. Do you need a retina?

Also mini sucks. YOU STILL NEED A SCREEN !!!! You don't want a $600 buck beast and a 200 buck dell screen do you. Kills all your Mac Swag.
 
A few considerations.

I think both MBPs and iMacs are good values, taking for granted Apple's high costs. I would avoid the 21" iMacs; I just think if you're going for something that expensive get the bigger screen real estate. You won't regret it.

You must get flash storage, either a SSD only, or a Fusion drive. Don't even consider something that only has a regular hard drive. The flash storage is SO much faster and makes the experience so much better.

Consider that with the 27" iMacs (and MBPs?) you can add your own RAM, a big money saver.

You can make a laptop function as a desktop (add monitor, keyboard and mouse, all relatively inexpensive) but you can't take an iMac with you. And today's laptops are pretty darn fast, so it's not like you are sacrificing performance or expandability like in the old days.

And for some reason the UK Apple store has lotsa decent deals on MBP refurbs, but never seems to have much in the way of iMacs.
 
Well I had a 2013 top spec BTO iMac 27 was absolutely beast of a computer. Then as the shine wore off and I got tired of going without a laptop when I'm away from home I sold the iMac and bought a 2011 15 inch macbook pro. I upgraded to 16gb ram and did a home-brew fusion drive with a samsung 2tb and 250gb ssd. It was very nice but was also quite big and bulky. I found I ended up leaving it at home more and more due to it being to big. So sold it. Finally got a 2013 13 inch Macbook pro. This has proved to be the best. It is small enough to not be a burden to bring with me. The retina is great, and having pretty much a full day of computer usage is so nice. It runs cool, does everything I throw at it with ease. Yes it isn't as fast as a quad core in the iMac. But having a lightweight laptop with great battery life and a amazing screen is hard to beat. I find Im not tied to my desk or my home to do any work or play on the 13 inch laptop. Just my 2 cents
 
Ak907Freerider said:
Well I had a 2013 top spec BTO iMac 27 was absolutely beast of a computer. Then as the shine wore off and I got tired of going without a laptop when I'm away from home I sold the iMac and bought a 2011 15 inch macbook pro. I upgraded to 16gb ram and did a home-brew fusion drive with a samsung 2tb and 250gb ssd. It was very nice but was also quite big and bulky. I found I ended up leaving it at home more and more due to it being to big. So sold it. Finally got a 2013 13 inch Macbook pro. This has proved to be the best. It is small enough to not be a burden to bring with me. The retina is great, and having pretty much a full day of computer usage is so nice. It runs cool, does everything I throw at it with ease. Yes it isn't as fast as a quad core in the iMac. But having a lightweight laptop with great battery life and a amazing screen is hard to beat. I find Im not tied to my desk or my home to do any work or play on the 13 inch laptop. Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Just out of interest but what specs did your MCP 2013 13inch have?
 
13 inch rMBP so good

I have one of these the 2.6ghz 512 ssd 8gb ram version and it is superb. It also works great as a desktop replacement linked to an external screen.
 
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