iMac or MacBook Pro?

[Appeltaart]

I recently opened a topic about what to choose: MB or MBA. But my parents went to a electronics store yesterday, in which they also sell Macs. I played a bit with the MBA, but I think it's too small. My dad said "For a little more money you can get either a iMac or MacBook Pro". I think he's right. But yeah I've got another problem now i can't choose between iMac and MBP... I happen to use it A LOT for school but i'm not going to take it to school. I like the MBP's portability but I also like the iMacs screen size. I can get discount so with that discount the iMac and MBP are only 56 euros more expensive than MB and MBA. Which one should i get?

and again: i'm from holland, sorry if my english is crappy

 

[Legion93]

Personally MBP would be my choice of preference. It is more convenient and portable to carry around. I think that the 15" would be ideal or if you want a bigger screen size go for the 17". It depends on what you do, if you use a lot of intensive tasks like photoshop or iMovie etc. it's best to get an iMac with upgraded parts for optimal performance via Apple's online store. If you are a student, you can get a discount from Apple (around 10% for college and 15-20% for uni students) off the original price tag. Well, at least that's what Apple's pricing in the UK is. As I said, a MacBook Pro would be a better choice for me but that's entirely up to you :d

 

[daneoni]

iMac

 

[Appeltaart]

In The Netherlands you've got special sites which link to the Apple Online Store with discount, normally iMac and MBP are 1149 euros, and with that discount 1056 euros. What I'm gonna do with it: Photoshop (not a power user, sometimes just for school), Office 2011, playing with iMovie and iPhoto, and surfing the web. I don't need a lot of space, 320GB is more than enough. I can go either for the 21.5" iMac low-end or 13" MBP. But... They both look really beautiful, and are fast, and have enough HDD space... Hhmm, tuff choice..

 

[palpatine]

do you work in the library?
what about watching movies on trips?
how about surfing the net while you watch tv?
what about playing games while you're in the bathtub?
what about something to show off your coolness to friends?

ok, with the exception of one thing, i think this is all stuff i would at least want to be able to do. the imac is wonderful, but i wouldn't want to give up portability.

 

[rev.b]

I vote for macbook pro + external monitor.

I do use mine as a desktop and I couldn't be more satisfied. I don't know about you, but working with only one computer saves all the troubles keeping files and apps in sync...

 

[Appeltaart]

@palpatine: I'm now using my HP notebook, and yeah I really like the portability, but I don't know if I'm gonna miss it? This laptop I'm not taking with me to school, because 1) it's really crappy quality, it might break then 2) I might only need it for projects, and it's the end of the year now

@rev.b: I can't work with external monitors 1) They are most of the times ugly 2) If I want a desktop I would go for an iMac, but I cant make the choice..

Thanks for the replies!

 

[bpeeps]

@palpatine: I'm now using my HP notebook, and yeah I really like the portability, but I don't know if I'm gonna miss it? This laptop I'm not taking with me to school, because 1) it's really crappy quality, it might break then 2) I might only need it for projects, and it's the end of the year now

@rev.b: I can't work with external monitors 1) They are most of the times ugly 2) If I want a desktop I would go for an iMac, but I cant make the choice..

Thanks for the replies!

You could always go for an Apple monitor, but then at that price, you might as well just buy an iMac.

 

[rev.b]

@palpatine: I'm now using my HP notebook, and yeah I really like the portability, but I don't know if I'm gonna miss it? This laptop I'm not taking with me to school, because 1) it's really crappy quality, it might break then 2) I might only need it for projects, and it's the end of the year now

@rev.b: I can't work with external monitors 1) They are most of the times ugly 2) If I want a desktop I would go for an iMac, but I cant make the choice..

Thanks for the replies!

So if you don't want an external monitor, I guess the obvious choice is the iMac. Laptop monitor sizes and resolutions are just too small to use it 100% of the time as the main computer, besides you are always curved and looking down if working with a laptop on a desk.

My point about going laptop only is I can't imagine living and working with only a fixed desktop at home.

 

[the_fellowship]

I'd go for the MBP, having the portability option is always a plus. Hooking up the MBP to an external monitor is a good compromise to the iMac's built-in display. Also upgrading/replacing the hard drive in an iMac isn't as easy as doing the same on a MBP.