Well, I've been in the same boat myself. Several times in fact! And I'm guessing it's a dilemma that will haunt many people for years to come.
The first thing I do before any Mac purchase is to weigh up the pros and cons on a sheet of paper. For me, this is where the decision becomes a very personal thing and certainly no amount of help on the internet will alter your needs and usage habits. We can always help each other answer questions, but the way one uses their devices is an important a starting. There is no use in just comparing specs and images as you'll waste lots of time.
To help with your own decision, I'll go through some of things that go through
my head as I consider my next purchase. Each heading is in bold; why not try and fill this out yourself, then share the results?
Intended usage:
A primary computer for both home and work tasks.
Typical home tasks:
- Checking emails
- Web browsing
- Note taking
- Managing a photo library
- Managing a music library
- Playing simulation games
Typical work tasks:
- Composing emails
- Web browsing
- Drawing (OmniGraffle)
- Graphic art (Affinity Photo/Designer)
- Creating audio files (Logic Pro X)
- Filling spreadsheets (Excel)
- Writing documents (Word)
- Viewing and creating PDFs
Place(s) of usage:
Primary - Desk in my office
Optional - Sofa in the lounge, dining table, a coffee shop ("
An expensive option, haha!")
Amount of travel usage (i.e. how often do you perform these tasks away from home) (1=Almost never, 10=I'm rarely home)
3
Required screen estate (1=Little, 10=Plenty)
7
Required CPU/GPU performance (1=Little, 10=Plenty)
5
Required storage and RAM (1=Little, 10=Plenty)
7
Budget
£1,500
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So there you have a basic-but-effective map of what your most essential needs are.
In my case (I currently run a 2010 21.5" iMac and looking to upgrade), we can see that although I run quite a different variety of apps for my work, few of them are CPU or GPU intensive; or more specifically, to the point where a modern i-series processor would begin to feel strained. This puts both the MacBook Pro and iMac on level terms, even though the iMac provides far better bang for the buck.
We see that I like to work from my desk. This is because I don't have to worry about moving physical documents regularly, and can separate work from pleasure more easily so I'm not tempted to "carry my work" by habit. On the other hand, I do enjoy working on a nice comfy sofa or practically wherever else I want during a day, but not so much that it becomes important to me.
I rarely travel for work, so the mobility factor isn't that too much of an issue (discuss later).
Screen estate is important to me for work because I
love-love-love having full screen apps open and working on this side-by-side. For home usage, this is less important as I'm not multitasking as much.
The performance I require, as mentioned previously, is not much of an issue. I think people blow this out of the water all too often as they're sold by megahertz and branding. So while both the MacBook Pro and iMac are more than powerful enough, I probably wouldn't even make the latter sweat. CPUs are a non-issue for a good majority of users, unless your use case is very specific (e.g video editing).
Storage and RAM are absolutely the trickiest to judge. It's natural we want to future proof our purchases, but there are many options to consider. In my case, while I have plenty of apps installed besides those mentioned (Logic requires more than 40GB), I don't carry a lot of media. I use Apple Music with few albums downloaded, and my photo library only takes 9.4GB. So, 512GB SSD/500GB HDD would be perfect for the future, but I could get away with half of this. If I change my mind, I can purchase an external SSD/HDD and use that.
Likewise, the standard 8GB of RAM is plenty -
I would only need 16GB if my home or work tasks change. Remember this...
Finally, my budget dictates that (with an education discount) I could get a 4K iMac with 512GB SSD for a little over £1,500. Conversely, I could also purchase a 13" MacBook Pro with the same storage but less powerful CPU for a little less.
Judging from my thoughts so far, there is a clear winner: the iMac.
Remember how I highlighted the mobility factor easier? In those areas that I have compromised, such as the mobility, it's plain to see that a iPad would suffice for many of the home uses anyway. They are light, cheap(ish) and practical for many tasks.
And for my uses, the iMac is just so much better value. The screen is an absolute stunner given its size, I don't have to worry about the estate, the speakers are better for music, my photos are viewed larger;
and, one of the greatest oversights of the current design iMac, it's light enough to move around the house in minutes. My 2010 iMac feels like a tank by comparison.
We could read into the common argument that "you just buy an external display". That's more money spent, desk space wasted when not in use and more cables.
So sorry if this was a long read, but I hope it helps with your decision
