My 2007 MBP that I have been using as a desktop forever has reached it's end life. It can no longer operate as a primary machine efficiently, even when scaled back to bare bones. I am going to retire it to some other kind of side use, but I need to replace it with something new. I am not looking for a power machine & I do not need a laptop (I already have an Air as my "away from home" portable mac. I'm looking for something that can do internet, basic office work, photo/music/video management (with light editing), and some occasional web development work. Basically, I want something that can do more than a basic user would need, but less than someone who would consider a Mac Pro. Plus, something that will be about as future-proof as you can get (knowing that nothing is really "future-proof").
Last year, I was planning to do a Mac Mini setup with BYODKM & get a pretty sweet monitor (or two) for it, but when they released the new Minis last year I was just as disappointed as everyone else to see that they actually took a giant step backwards from the 2012 models. The advantage of the Mini is that it's not all in one & if the monitor dies, I can just replace it. If the Mini has an issue, I don't have to bring in my monitor. Typical non all-in-one stuff. Plus, the setup is cheaper overall.
The iMac is cleaner and more powerful. It comes with everything I need in one box. No need to go out & get a new keyboard, mouse, & monitor. But that also means it costs more, and if one thing breaks, the whole thing has to go in for repair.
So, what would you do? Seems that there are good & bad sides to both setups, but neither one would really be a wrong decision.
Last year, I was planning to do a Mac Mini setup with BYODKM & get a pretty sweet monitor (or two) for it, but when they released the new Minis last year I was just as disappointed as everyone else to see that they actually took a giant step backwards from the 2012 models. The advantage of the Mini is that it's not all in one & if the monitor dies, I can just replace it. If the Mini has an issue, I don't have to bring in my monitor. Typical non all-in-one stuff. Plus, the setup is cheaper overall.
The iMac is cleaner and more powerful. It comes with everything I need in one box. No need to go out & get a new keyboard, mouse, & monitor. But that also means it costs more, and if one thing breaks, the whole thing has to go in for repair.
So, what would you do? Seems that there are good & bad sides to both setups, but neither one would really be a wrong decision.
