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iMac or MBP?

carve

carve

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 25, 2006
645
3
Hi All, well, it's that time again and I am looking for a new machine ;)! My iBook G4 crapped out on me several months ago...not even 4 years old. So, I am debating between getting one of the new 21" iMacs or getting a 13" MBP.

I am slightly hesitant to purchase another apple notebook seeing as my iBook G4 crapped out very quickly on me not even doing stressful tasks. I basically just used it as a desktop and occasionally brought it to the library, cafe, ETC.

For the new machine I am going to be editing photos using aperture 2, web browsing, iLife, maybe some video editing in there.

What I'm getting at is has the quality of the notebooks improved?

Thanks! :eek:
 
Both machines will do whatever you want. You have to ask yorself; portable or not? The new iMac has better hardware, especially the quad 27" - so, portable or not!
 
An iBook G4 is more than three years old at this point... a failure now is sooner than expected, maybe, but hardly "pretty quickly".

As to your question: I'm trying to decide the same thing for myself. I need the portability of a notebook, but I'm absolutely smitten by the new iMacs...
 
iMac or MBP

Now that the new iMac's are out, they're about $1,000 more affordable for basically the same configuration. I made this same decision back in June and ended up with a MBP. I needed a lot of graphics and processing power so I went with the highest possible config for the 15". Now that the new iMac's are out, I am crazy about them. I don't have the space for an iMac, that's the only reason I got a laptop. I would go with the iMac, especially for the display. If you're doing photo and movie stuff, the display will be like something out of heaven. Infact, the 27" iMac has a display with a resolution that's higher than Full high def. 1080p. You might not need the quad core, but I think that you might want the 3.33 GHz which is an extra $200, but is incredibly fast. If you think that you'll need to take your work all over the place, then go for the MBP. If that isn't absolutely necessary (can be substituted by a flash drive or portable hard drive), then I would go with the 27" iMac.
 
Hey All..thanks for the responses! I am limited to getting the lower end models because that's all the money I have right now and I really need a machine.

Next summer I am going to travel to NY along with some other vacations and I'd really like a laptop to bring with me. But if I get the MBP bottom of the line I am worried it won't have enough processing power to edit images and not be laggy.

This is a difficult decision :D

EDIT: Also, do you think there will be an update to the MBP's before December? I am willing to wait a month or so to get something slightly better for the same price...haha.
 
Yes see this is a topic which I am also familiar with

When I was in the market for a computer 1 1/2 years ago I had my sights set on the 17" MBP. But then I realized the iMac was a better config for less so I bit the bullet and got the 24" iMac, it has been a great machine. So, now that the new Unibodies have come out they are more appealing then ever. Now that I am (continuing) college + doing some graphic work for designers and architects + traveling around to family + friends = need a laptop. I mean really....when push comes to shove, you gotta think about what your priorities are. I am not doing any rendering or anything so I don't need the extra CPU power. So basically with my student loans coming through + selling my iMac and maybe a little bit of cash out of my pocket I can get the same config with the 17" MBP (2.8GHz + 4GB + way better graphics card for gaming + other tasks), just portable.

I am waiting to see what happens in the coming weeks (I can't get a MBP for a month or two anyways) as far as rumors go, because I have a funny feeling we are going to see some spec bumps in the MBP soon since the MB just got updated today. If I can get a 3.06GHz processor for the same price as a current 2.8GHz, hell yeah I will wait...maybe they may even offer something better, just like the new iMac with a 3.33GHz.

But now with the iMac refresh it is hard to justify. If I were in the market for a new computer, I would go for a MBP because portability is becoming more and more of a need....they are both sexy products, the new iMac is just stunning, and so is the MBP.

you may also want to consider the 15" because it has a better graphics card then the 13"

Hope that helps, I didn't mean to turn it into my story...I just wanted you to hear from a persons perspective that has owned an iMac for a while. You may miss the freedom of being able to be on your computer while laying in bed, because with a desktop, you are stuck in one place
 
Vote for the 13 MBP. Good price & performance. The GPU is good enough for most everything. Had a 15", thought I would use the graphics -wrong. Saw very little improvement and killed my battery.

Quality is much better than first gen Intel products. Not as good yet as my old g4 PB but getting there.
 
Ok, I've decided to get the iMac. Twice the HD was the deal breaker for me, at least.

I am in HS so we are allowed to bring laptops to school but way to many people get theirs stolen so I will probably just get the MacBook in College :)

Thanks for the help all.
 
carve said:
Ok, I've decided to get the iMac. Twice the HD was the deal breaker for me, at least.

I am in HS so we are allowed to bring laptops to school but way to many people get theirs stolen so I will probably just get the MacBook in College :)

Thanks for the help all.
Click to expand...

I dont see the need for a laptop in highschool. Desktop is better way to go.
 
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