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20-inch iMac or future 17 inch MacBook Pro

W

wonga1127

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 16, 2006
339
0
Wishing for a magic bus.
Okay. I just got back from the Apple store. I was looking at the screen size for the 15 inch MBP and thought to myself. Personally, desktop real-estate is awesome, and I fell in love with the 30 inch ACD (way out of my league). I went over to look at the iMacs and found the 20" screen to be pleasantly perfect for my needs. But unfortunatly, *some* of my needs would favor a more portable approach. Should I wait for a 17" MBP to be announced or take the iMac?


PS:Yes i know the MBP would have 3 less inchs than the iMac, but i love portability.
 
wonga1127 said:
Okay. I just got back from the Apple store. I was looking at the screen size for the 15 inch MBP and thought to myself. Personally, desktop real-estate is awesome, and I fell in love with the 30 inch ACD (way out of my league). I went over to look at the iMacs and found the 20" screen to be pleasantly perfect for my needs. But unfortunatly, *some* of my needs would favor a more portable approach. Should I wait for a 17" MBP to be announced or take the iMac?


PS:Yes i know the MBP would have 3 less inchs than the iMac, but i love portability.
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Well considering there is absolutely NO information on when a 17'' MBP will be released, it depends on how badly you need a computer. If you are going to need it sooner rather than later, i'd say go with the iMac or a Refurb until the 17s are available. Even if the 17s come out, there may be a long wait such as was the case with the 15s.
 
I have a 17" PB G4 and regretted getting it. For me it's just too big. But I must say, I don't use it as a combo desktop/portable. I think if I was going to use a laptop for both, I would go for a 15" and a separate monitor.
 
Go with the iMac. Like said, you have no idea if a 17" MBP is even going to be released. Plus a 17" won't be what I would call easy to carry around with you. If portability is what you want, why not get an iMac Core Duo and then a second hand G3 iBook from eBay or something to use for basic stuff on the go?
 
Caitlyn said:
Go with the iMac. Like said, you have no idea if a 17" MBP is even going to be released. Plus a 17" won't be what I would call easy to carry around with you. If portability is what you want, why not get an iMac Core Duo and then a second hand G3 iBook from eBay or something to use for basic stuff on the go?
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If he is planning on getting the 17" PB he can afford to get a new Intel iMac and new iBook/Macbook and still be under the $3000+ that it would cost for a 17" MacBook Pro.
 
bodeh6 said:
If he is planning on getting the 17" PB he can afford to get a new Intel iMac and new iBook/Macbook and still be under the $3000+ that it would cost for a 17" MacBook Pro.
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Exactly my point.
 
either imac + macbook or 15" MBP + external screen would be better options than a 17" MBP IMO, especially because we don't know how long you'll be waiting on the 17".
 
I would reccomend going with the 15" and get an external monitor. I have a PowerBook G4 15" with a 20" ACD and I love that setup. I get the portability of the laptop and then when I get home I can hook it up to the ACD and have a larger screen. That would be my reccomendation.
 
17" MacBook Pro

wonga1127 said:
Okay. I just got back from the Apple store. I was looking at the screen size for the 15 inch MBP and thought to myself. Personally, desktop real-estate is awesome, and I fell in love with the 30 inch ACD (way out of my league). I went over to look at the iMacs and found the 20" screen to be pleasantly perfect for my needs. But unfortunatly, *some* of my needs would favor a more portable approach. Should I wait for a 17" MBP to be announced or take the iMac?


PS:Yes i know the MBP would have 3 less inchs than the iMac, but i love portability.
Click to expand...

I would rather have a 17 inch MacBook Pro, giving me complete access to everything whether I'm on the move or not, then save a slight bit of carrying wait. What matters is whether one has access to what one wants to use. Nothing truly compensates for the extra screen real estate. So I am waiting for a new 17 inch MacBook Pro, and will not purchase another Mac until one of those is made available. If not, eventually I will need to leave the Apple platform, which saddens me, since I've been using Mac since the beginning.
 
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Alanl1 said:
I would rather have a 17 inch MacBook Pro, giving me complete access to everything whether I'm on the move or not, then save a slight bit of carrying wait. What matters is whether one has access to what one wants to use. Nothing truly compensates for the extra screen real estate. So I am waiting for a new 17 inch MacBook Pro, and will not purchase another Mac until one of those is made available. If not, eventually I will need to leave the Apple platform, which saddens me, since I've been using Mac since the beginning.
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Likewise. I could probably settle for something slightly smaller with a true 1920x1200 (retina equivalent) display. No, the scaling on the current 15" retina MBP does not count.
 
Alanl1 said:
I would rather have a 17 inch MacBook Pro, giving me complete access to everything whether I'm on the move or not, then save a slight bit of carrying wait. What matters is whether one has access to what one wants to use. Nothing truly compensates for the extra screen real estate. So I am waiting for a new 17 inch MacBook Pro, and will not purchase another Mac until one of those is made available. If not, eventually I will need to leave the Apple platform, which saddens me, since I've been using Mac since the beginning.
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There isn't going to be a 17" Macbook Pro, this is from 8 years ago.
 
Because the issue is current for pro users--& 2012 when the 17 inch MB Pro was dropped isn't that long ago (not even in dog years!). The objective need persists. Those who have it tend to point out Apple's seeming abandonment of a core constituency.
 
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