Time Machine restore to a different computer

[Hacks]

When I get a new iPhone or iPad I just connect them to iTunes and have them restore. It puts all my apps, data, and settings on the new device.

I currently have a MBA and plan on getting an iMac. I was wondering if I could do the same thing with my Time Machine backup? Would everything be the same on the new iMac, apps and settings?

Or should I just start fresh and install everything manually?

 

[sonicrobby]

Yup, you physically can restore between macs. Ive restored my mac mini time machine backups to my new rMBP when I first bought it. As long as the one being backed up is not being restored onto an older version of OSX, I dont think there'd be any issues.

 

[Bomb Bloke]

Don't just do a full system restore, though - have the Migration Assistant handle the process for you. Each model has a slightly different build of OS X (even if the version numbers are the same), and they aren't always compatible. Unlike your iOS backups, OS X backups do include the OS itself, so performing a complete restore to the wrong system has the potential to cause some major issues.