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Why do you still buy an iMac?

C

charlieasmith96

macrumors member
Original poster
May 17, 2013
34
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Looking down the iMac forums, I am still surprised at the amount of people who don't buy a laptop and dock them into large displays; then you have the benefit of portability and screen real-estate at the same time.

I am genuinely interested as to why you choose the desktop option to the notebook/dock option? What clear advantages does it bring? Does it not constrict you in terms of where you work, or moving your current system state with you on the go?

Ps. I am not trying to start an argument. As a MacBook user, I am my self eyeing up an iMac. I just want other people's opinions on here.
 
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I prefer desktops for ergonomic reasons. I find it much more comfortable to use a large display at eye-level with a separate keyboard and mouse than being hunched over a small laptop. The reason I have an iMac rather than MacBook + external display combo is because I never need to use a Mac anywhere other than at my desk at home, so a MacBook would just spend its whole life closed up and docked - a bit of a waste. My iPhone is my portable computer. I also love the aesthetics of the iMac - just one cable for the whole system, and everything I could need, from the webcam to the speakers, is all built in.
 
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I kind of had the same question - and then I bought one...portability is one thing, power is another. I still have the best of both worlds, I just don't dock my MBP anymore - cloud storage means anything I was working on is available on the other machine.
 
Done that before at work. Actually still have a Dr. with a '14 rMBP in a hengedock paired to a 27" monitor and he much prefers dealing with his iMac and keeping the MacBook as a portable.

My wife and I also prefer our iMacs at home and laptops when we're on the go. Mine lives in my daily carry bag until I need it.
 
My portable computer is the iPad mini, I can accomplish everything I need a mobile computer for using the iPad mini. The iMac is my home computer, and it is MUCH more powerful than any MacBook I can buy. For the money, there's no comparison.

I also bought a 5k iMac because there's no Mac Pro option that gives me the same power for the same money ($3,500). I'd love the ability to replace the screen down the road, but look at this thing. Gorgeous.
 
I have zero need for portability when I'm at home and I enjoy sitting down in my office chair and doing my thing there.

When I'm on the go I just use my iPhone.
 
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This isn't true of every iMac, but mine lets me use it as a monitor for other computers. So, for example, I can enjoy iMac experience and then switch to my Windows laptop (for work) with a quick keystroke, thus enjoying the 27" screen for both.
 
Basically a combination of all these so far. The power is great, the one-piece simplicity is great, I only have one place in my home where I'd work on a Mac, and the iMac's display is better than almost all other external displays anyway.
 
I can't stand typing on laptop keyboards, I have yet to find one that feels comfortable. Then there is the cost factor, in the long run it's cheaper to buy the iMac and the 5k Retina Display is absolutely gorgeous. In the future I want to buy a macbook pro, but only when I can afford one and I can also justify it as well.
 
I struggled with the idea of buying an iMac. First off, my Surface Pro 3 was working great, I have no issues with Win10 and so a windows machine was a natural choice. I zoomed in on the Dell XPS 8900, a new machine that was priced under a thousand dollars (without the monitor). It was expandable, and you can swap out all the components. It was the very antithesis of the iMac which as we know is a sealed computer at this point.

What drove me to the iMac over this, was a couple major points. First the 27" 5k screen. If I wanted a 5k display, that would run me about 2,400 dollars from Dell, where as for 2,000 I get a computer and a 5k display. Secondly, I wasn't ready to walk away from OS X. This was the biggest deciding factor, while windows 10 is fine and I like working in it. I would miss using OS X. In a weird twisted logic sort of way, with the iMac, I get more flexibility then the Dell, as I can easily run Windows or OS X which I do, so I get the best of both worlds.

In talking this over with my wife, I came to realize that the Dell is a great choice but one that I definitely could see myself incurring buyers remorse, where the iMac is a safe bet. I opted for the iMac and its been the best computer I've owned. No looking back now, its a great computer and I'm incredibly happy to own it.
 
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Ergonomics. I don't really need two screens, and it's just harder to type on the laptop with the lid closed. So that means to use the big screen, you either have to raise it up high enough to clear the laptop screen, or you need to sit un-natural and turn your head to a side screen. I wanted 27" monitor. Bonus, I got a 5k retina. Now having used an iMac for just over a year, I have strong doubts that when this one becomes obsolete it will be replaced by another iMac or Apple product as I have found that you do pay an extreme premium for the computer and don't get any more quality or speed than you would with a 1/3rd the price Windows PC. I'd say I have had more wrong with my iMac than any Windows product.
 
roadkill401 said:
Now having used an iMac for just over a year, I have strong doubts that when this one becomes obsolete it will be replaced by another iMac or Apple product as I have found that you do pay an extreme premium for the computer and don't get any more quality or speed than you would with a 1/3rd the price Windows PC.
Click to expand...

Please name an iMac 5K equivalent that's a third the cost. Pick any one, I'll wait.
 
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nightcap965 said:
Please name an iMac 5K equivalent that's a third the cost. Pick any one, I'll wait.
Click to expand...

This is what I always say. There is no doubt that Apple products carry a premium, but I would put that at maybe 20%, not triple. If you buy a Mac with a student discount (-15% in the UK, plus free Applecare), then it becomes very competitive with similar PC products. And of course, you get OS X, which is probably the main reason I use Apple products.
 
I asked myself the same questions recently when shopping for a new computer. I looked at my desk and I had a bigger display, stand, keyboard, hubs, all things to turn my laptop into a desktop. In the three years I owned my laptop, I really never moved it off the desk that much. Most things I needed a portable laptop for, I could easily do on my iPad.

So i opted for the 5K iMac. For the almost the same money as a 27" 5K display alone, I got a whole computer with great real estate, awesome graphics and better HD capacity.
 
r6mile said:
This is what I always say. There is no doubt that Apple products carry a premium, but I would put that at maybe 20%, not triple. If you buy a Mac with a student discount (-15% in the UK, plus free Applecare), then it becomes very competitive with similar PC products. And of course, you get OS X, which is probably the main reason I use Apple products.
Click to expand...
I think the point is there are no other all in one computers that have a 5K screen. Dell has a external 5K screen that is about $2200 and it doesn't come with a computer. In that regard the iMac 5K is an unbeatable deal right now. My machine minus Apple Care and tax was probably $1600 after subtracting the Dell asking price for the monitor. That is a 4GHz Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD and R9 M395X graphics chip. That seems pretty reasonable. Then factor in the build quality and the keyboard and trackpad that came with my machine and the price seems like a bargain.
 
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iMacs should be, theoretically, more reliable since it will sit in the same spot during its entire operating life. On the other hand, MBP's and any other laptops are carried around (squashed between heavy books in a bag, bumping into surfaces, exposed to different environments/temps, etc), thus being exposed to hazards that can harm internal components. Granted, lack of spinning drives in MBP's reduces certain scenarios of extreme wear and/or damaged. But iMacs have a better chance at lasting longer.

That being said, I abused my MBP for the last 6 years, and it's still going strong... Sure, I could dock it and connect it to a monitor. But I still like having iMac... It's just an intangible feeling of security, user experience and self-satisfaction.
 
r6mile said:
This is what I always say. There is no doubt that Apple products carry a premium, but I would put that at maybe 20%, not triple. If you buy a Mac with a student discount (-15% in the UK, plus free Applecare), then it becomes very competitive with similar PC products. And of course, you get OS X, which is probably the main reason I use Apple products.
Click to expand...

The Dell XPS 27 starts at $200 less than the 27" 5K iMac. But you get a 2560 X1440 screen (it is touch screen) . In higher configurations they are priced either identical to or more expensive than the 5k iMac. With the iMac, I get a 5K screen and 128 GB Flash on the 2 TB Hard Drive, on the dell you get 64 and it is MSATA rather than PCIe. I think they are very simlilarly priced. I do admit that Apple doesn't off a $299 computer.
 
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