hey guys i was wondering if you guys had any input as to which is better. I know that its more than likley comes down to desktop or laptop. But does any machine have a pro that makes one better than the other? I plan to do some picture editing, websurfing dvd burning and thas about it.
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Imac vs Macbook alum
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Like you said, it comes down basically to if you would like/need portability.
I like the Macbook because you can plug an a external monitor and rock a desktop, or go out and grab coffee with just the Macbook.
You could get a faster machine with the iMac line up.
Apple Care cost less for the iMac.
I don't know, the decision seems obvious for me, but it all comes down to what YOU like.
I like the Macbook because you can plug an a external monitor and rock a desktop, or go out and grab coffee with just the Macbook.
You could get a faster machine with the iMac line up.
Apple Care cost less for the iMac.
I don't know, the decision seems obvious for me, but it all comes down to what YOU like.
The iMac has a much larger and higher quality screen, larger and faster harddrive options and much faster graphics processor.
It's also several hundred dollars cheaper.
If you don't NEED the portability, then the iMac is the better choice.
It's also several hundred dollars cheaper.
If you don't NEED the portability, then the iMac is the better choice.
The iMac is comparable to the Macbook Pro, so unless you really need the portability, iMac for you 
It is the old power versus portability argument and entirely your choice based on your needs or preferences. It depends entirely on what you need more, the power of the iMac, or the portability of the aluminium MB. Personally, I like a bit of both, and really like portability, so I have a MBP.
Cheers and good luck
Cheers and good luck
From what you've said you will do, either machine will handle those tasks without a hassle.
It just comes down if you if you want to pay a little more to be portable or save some dosh and have a better system but only at your desk.
As a side note, portability isn't using your laptop around the house, for example... going on Macrumors when you go to the loo
It just comes down if you if you want to pay a little more to be portable or save some dosh and have a better system but only at your desk.
As a side note, portability isn't using your laptop around the house, for example... going on Macrumors when you go to the loo
I had the old aluminium top-end, maxed out iMac (24" screen, 2,8GHz Core 2 Duo Extreme, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive). On the 14th of October, when the new MacBooks were introduced, I ordered the top-end model (2,4GHz Core 2 Duo, upped the RAM myself to 4GB, 250GB hard drive, but will be replacing that with a Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB drive once it's out). I got the MacBook as a companion machine to the iMac, as I always thought the iMac would be and stay my main machine.
Well, to make a long story short... I sold the iMac. The reality was that I hardly used it anymore. I've always been a desktop guy, but it seemed to be like eating fish. I never ate it because I thought I wouldn't like it. Well, once I started eating it, I couldn't get enough. So now I'm as much a mobile convert as I'm a fish lover. I'll never go desktop again. The MacBook does everything my iMac could do. Sure, it might be just a tad less powerful, but that is so compensated by the fact that I can take it with me to wherever I go, it's not even funny.
So my advice would be to go with a MacBook. If you really can't do without a large screen, you could always get an external screen with it. Ideal situation, if you ask me. My girlfriend digs the MacBook better than the iMac, too, as we could get rid of the ugly desk and (even uglier) desk chair.
Well, to make a long story short... I sold the iMac. The reality was that I hardly used it anymore. I've always been a desktop guy, but it seemed to be like eating fish. I never ate it because I thought I wouldn't like it. Well, once I started eating it, I couldn't get enough. So now I'm as much a mobile convert as I'm a fish lover. I'll never go desktop again. The MacBook does everything my iMac could do. Sure, it might be just a tad less powerful, but that is so compensated by the fact that I can take it with me to wherever I go, it's not even funny.
So my advice would be to go with a MacBook. If you really can't do without a large screen, you could always get an external screen with it. Ideal situation, if you ask me. My girlfriend digs the MacBook better than the iMac, too, as we could get rid of the ugly desk and (even uglier) desk chair.
Just as a note... I have just got a white Macbook (really cheaply which is the only reason), but the quality of the screen is very poor. I went into PCWorld to have a look at the Aluminium Macbooks and they too have very poor quality screens. I would advise you to go have a look at one, open up a text document or something and see if you find the text readable... I found it to be quite faint.
I had originally planned on buying an Aluminium Macbook to replace my ageing Macbook Pro and maybe having a Macbook Pro has spoilt me, but I'm glad I spent £400 on a white macbook rather than £800 on an aluminium one... Seriously Apple, if you're gonna charge £800 for a laptop, use decent screens for goodness sake!
I had originally planned on buying an Aluminium Macbook to replace my ageing Macbook Pro and maybe having a Macbook Pro has spoilt me, but I'm glad I spent £400 on a white macbook rather than £800 on an aluminium one... Seriously Apple, if you're gonna charge £800 for a laptop, use decent screens for goodness sake!
Well thanks for the input, Although I do not need portability it will be good to have it if I were to ever need it. Looks like its the MacBook for me
$1,600 vs $1,200. So, $400, a much smaller and highly inferior screen and limited ports just in case you want to take your computer to the coffee shop?
It's cool to be able to take your MacBook with you, over to friends to show some photos. Also, being able to take it with you to college is really nice. And don't forget putting the MacBook next to the HDTV, connecting them, and watching your movies on the big screen. So much things you can do that you can't (easily) do with an iMac. Do you really need FireWire? Do you really need the bigger screen? (Remember, you can always get an external display and have two screens.)
Of course, you can take that $600 and buy another 20" LCD for the iMac, a 1TB HDD, 4GB of RAM and buy a 50ft DVI cable to plug into your HDTV and have $200 left over.
Buy the iMac on the refurb store and your money goes even further.
You can also buy a MSI Wind for $300ish and Hackintosh it for a portable option.
Money isn't everything. Some things can not be expressed in money value. Also, although some of you might disagree, I think owning two computers (whether they're PCs or Macs) and having to synchronize them all the time is a pain in the ass. It rocks to have one computer that you can take with you, wherever you go. To me, that is, like I said, priceless. As I wrote in an earlier post above, I sold my iMac (I was once a devoted desktop guy) once I figured out I liked portability way better than slightly more power (yes, even if the latter can be had for a possibly lower price).