Which Mac is right for me (iMac, Mini or MacBook Pro)

[ranny2]

Hello,
I have a slight problem and that is which Mac to buy. I have been saving up for about a year, and have finally decided to take the plunge. However, I am slightly confused as to which to buy.

My options are:

iMac 21.5 base refurbished
£849

Mac Mini + various accessories for use with my existing (rather old) 1280x1024 (so not ideal) monitor
Only £550, which would allow me to buy other products such as a new phone

Wait for the new MacBook Pro and get the 13" base with the student discount
£940

My uses are web browsing, email, HD YouTube watching, photo editing using Aperture, document editing.

Thanks for your help.

 

[maflynn]

I'd go with the iMac if you cannot wait, or wait for the MBP. From the sounds of your posts, you have an old monitor that might not really fit the bill

 

[ranny2]

I really like the monitor, as it is matte which I like. It's just the resolution is a bit, well... Small?

If I'm able to wait would the new MBP provide the power of the current iMac in a compact body?

Just a note, I do have an iPad 2 32GB.

 

[HauntSlider]

I was in the same boat about a year and a half ago. I went with a refurbished iMac and haven't regretted a day of it.

I also had a monitor left over from my last system and bought the digital video to display port adapter. I love having both monitors. iTunes and mail run all the time on my second monitor.

It's a personal choice but I'm just saying, in my example the iMac worked out the best.

 

[TuiSong]

The mac mini, if the monitor you currently have isn't working out for you after trying it out, then you can buy a new one with the savings you made on the mini. Has the bonus of being cheaper to replace the mini in future too. I've got to the point where I have several older iMacs hanging around, they're not dead but they're not really usuable for what we need. So I have a growing collection of stuff that I don't want to recycle because it still works, but don't currently have a use for. I've decided that in order to reduce this growing mass of old apple technology, the mini is the way to go.

Before you decide on a laptop, have you spent much time working on one? I really thought I absolutely neeeeded a laptop a few years ago and badgered the OH to buy me one for my birthday. The reality of it was that I totally hated it, I liked the idea of it, but not the physical reality. I disliked the small screen (13" but the 15" isn't any better for me) and I couldn't find a way to be comfortable using it at anything other than my computer desk with the standard keyboard and mouse hooked up. The kids now get to fight over who has the macbook while I stick to sitting at the desk and enjoying my large screen, or relaxing on the sofa using the iPad2.

 

[Young Spade]

I really like the monitor, as it is matte which I like. It's just the resolution is a bit, well... Small?

If I'm able to wait would the new MBP provide the power of the current iMac in a compact body?

Just a note, I do have an iPad 2 32GB.

This thread can be somewhat answered by asking yourself a few simple questions.

Do you need to move the computer? If so, then MBP obviously. Thread closed.

If not, then ask yourself, can you use the iPad out of the room for everything you need to do? If so, then get the iMac or Mac Mini.

If you want to buy now, with any model, buy now. Wait half a year or so until the next worthwhile MBP upgrade and you'll be hearing about the "next" iteration that would come around this time next year.

 

[ranny2]

Hi Young Spade,

Thanks for clear, concise reply.

I have now ruled out buying the MBP as I do not need the portability.

So now its between the Mini and the iMac. Suggestions?
Thanks.

 

[maflynn]

Well you stated you really like your monitor that you have, so why change that out with a purchase of an iMac. Go with the mini

 

[Young Spade]

Hi Young Spade,

Thanks for clear, concise reply.

I have now ruled out buying the MBP as I do not need the portability.

So now its between the Mini and the iMac. Suggestions?
Thanks.

What kind of monitor do you currently have?

You can always connect the monitor you have to the iMac display, allowing you to have two monitors side by side. That, plus the fact that the iMac is much more powerful than the Mini, I'd say go for that.

You're paying a good chunk of money either way; the way I see it, you get all of the functionality of the mini, plus a screen, and more power, for a little more.

The mini is.... kind of versatile for its uses, but if you need a sole desktop computer, people generally get the iMac, as it provides a more "complete" package that is higher spec'd and generally, more appealing. Plus you aren't getting a DVD drive with the Mini, so if you ever want to play a DVD or load pictures off of a CD or burn or anything, you'd have to buy the external drive.