Advice needed! iMac or MacBook Pro?
Hey, guys. I'm looking for a bit of advice in purchasing a new Mac.
I've narrowed it down to two computers: the new Intel iMac and the MacBook Pro.
I've been saving up for quite a bit for a new computer, so, I'm happy to say money is not an object.
I was originally going with the MacBook Pro: it'd be really nice to have a laptop, especially with all of the computing power. I mainly use my current laptop, however, as everything a desktop would be; 90% of the time, it's plugged in and stationary. I would get the MacBook Pro with as much computing power as possible: the 1.83GHz, fully-loaded with 2GB of RAM and a 7200rpm harddrive.
I've recently started looking at the Intel iMac, though. In relation to the MacBook, it would be marginally faster (especially since my purposes--browsing, word processing, etc.--all run natively) than the MacBook Pro. It also seems that there are some reliability issues with the MacBook: battery life is still uncertain, and there's the whole SuperDrive dilemma.
I would get the iMac fully loaded. Even better, I'd save just short of $1000, which, while not deal-making/breaking, is nice.
What do you guys think I should do? I realize this is largely based on individual-to-individual preference, but I'm just looking for some opinions. I currently have my MacBook Pro order in, and it's slated to ship Feb. 28th.
My options:
1) Stick with your gut. MacBook Pro ships 2/28.
2) Cancel the MacBook. Order the iMac and save some cash, gain a tad of power, but lose mobility and... well, style.
3) Wait it out, and then make your call. Since the MacBook ships on the 28th, you'll get to read some consumer reviews and see if its worth waiting for before it actually arrives. If it is, great. If not, cancel the order and expedite ship a shiny new iMac. And hey, maybe a later generation of the MacBook will have the kinks worked out...
Alright, what do you guys think? Sorry if I've rambled
Thanks for your time.
I've narrowed it down to two computers: the new Intel iMac and the MacBook Pro.
I've been saving up for quite a bit for a new computer, so, I'm happy to say money is not an object.
I was originally going with the MacBook Pro: it'd be really nice to have a laptop, especially with all of the computing power. I mainly use my current laptop, however, as everything a desktop would be; 90% of the time, it's plugged in and stationary. I would get the MacBook Pro with as much computing power as possible: the 1.83GHz, fully-loaded with 2GB of RAM and a 7200rpm harddrive.
I've recently started looking at the Intel iMac, though. In relation to the MacBook, it would be marginally faster (especially since my purposes--browsing, word processing, etc.--all run natively) than the MacBook Pro. It also seems that there are some reliability issues with the MacBook: battery life is still uncertain, and there's the whole SuperDrive dilemma.
I would get the iMac fully loaded. Even better, I'd save just short of $1000, which, while not deal-making/breaking, is nice.
What do you guys think I should do? I realize this is largely based on individual-to-individual preference, but I'm just looking for some opinions. I currently have my MacBook Pro order in, and it's slated to ship Feb. 28th.
My options:
1) Stick with your gut. MacBook Pro ships 2/28.
2) Cancel the MacBook. Order the iMac and save some cash, gain a tad of power, but lose mobility and... well, style.
3) Wait it out, and then make your call. Since the MacBook ships on the 28th, you'll get to read some consumer reviews and see if its worth waiting for before it actually arrives. If it is, great. If not, cancel the order and expedite ship a shiny new iMac. And hey, maybe a later generation of the MacBook will have the kinks worked out...
Alright, what do you guys think? Sorry if I've rambled
Thanks for your time.
Comments
theres no other reason not to get a 20inch 2.0ghz imac with double the harddrive and potentially double the ram.
or get a powermac g5 with a student discount and upgrade little.
sorry but don't buy ram from apple to expense and hard also.
i would hold of untill all company go to the intel mac. you can buy it but the difference it not really there. it a 20% power increae. just wait for more people to go after that new cpu. the new photoshop won't come out untill next year to support the cpu and others too.
but if need to realy get it then get the imac intel upgrade the hard drive and buy a nice duel gig stick from newegg.
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i trust apple with the merge with intel. i think they have something in store.
Conversely, how much do you value expandability? The MacBook, ironically, is the more expandable of the two, with the XpressCard slot. If that (combined with mobility) is more important than the items in the first paragraph then the MacBook makes more sense. I don't place much value on the Dual Layer support. Apple felt fine dropping it, probably with good reason: most people don't buy Dual Layer discs due to the single layer discs being so much cheaper. I've only ever bought one dual layer DVD -- mostly I buy rewritable single layer discs.
It mainly comes down to whether or not you will take advantage of the mobility offered by a laptop, though expandability could do it for some (only one of those machines will ever be able to use FW800, and that machine isn't the iMac).
My main suggestion is to try not to let availability *today* decide things for you. Yeah you can go pick up an iMac today, but buy what you really want -- it's only a couple of weeks either way.
Originally posted by Animal Farm
Hey, guys. I'm looking for a bit of advice in purchasing a new Mac.
I've narrowed it down to two computers: the new Intel iMac and the MacBook Pro.
I've been saving up for quite a bit for a new computer, so, I'm happy to say money is not an object.
I was originally going with the MacBook Pro: it'd be really nice to have a laptop, especially with all of the computing power. I mainly use my current laptop, however, as everything a desktop would be; 90% of the time, it's plugged in and stationary. I would get the MacBook Pro with as much computing power as possible: the 1.83GHz, fully-loaded with 2GB of RAM and a 7200rpm harddrive.
I've recently started looking at the Intel iMac, though. In relation to the MacBook, it would be marginally faster (especially since my purposes--browsing, word processing, etc.--all run natively) than the MacBook Pro. It also seems that there are some reliability issues with the MacBook: battery life is still uncertain, and there's the whole SuperDrive dilemma.
I would get the iMac fully loaded. Even better, I'd save just short of $1000, which, while not deal-making/breaking, is nice.
What do you guys think I should do? I realize this is largely based on individual-to-individual preference, but I'm just looking for some opinions. I currently have my MacBook Pro order in, and it's slated to ship Feb. 28th.
My options:
1) Stick with your gut. MacBook Pro ships 2/28.
2) Cancel the MacBook. Order the iMac and save some cash, gain a tad of power, but lose mobility and... well, style.
3) Wait it out, and then make your call. Since the MacBook ships on the 28th, you'll get to read some consumer reviews and see if its worth waiting for before it actually arrives. If it is, great. If not, cancel the order and expedite ship a shiny new iMac. And hey, maybe a later generation of the MacBook will have the kinks worked out...
Alright, what do you guys think? Sorry if I've rambled
dude, some choices in life are tough...8)
Then you can have the performance for your stated 90% use and just sacrifice performance for portability for the other 10%..
Personally, I will probably keep the MacBook Pro order that I have since even when I use it at home, it is nice to do from the couch or whichever room I feel like. With that said, it is tempting to think about the option of having an iMac and ibook combo.
That's definitely what I'm doing. I want maximum performance -- and the iMac will provide just that. I have mulled it over, and the power and added benefits of the iMac (nicer display, bigger harddrive, faster disk drive, nice magnet for the remote
I'm going to take that $1000 and save it. Along with some cash I could put aside later this year, I could get a new, revised edition of the MacBook Pro or the Intel iBook (Macbook?) that's slated to be released with a Core Solo. I don't want early adopter issues, and since the whole "universal or PPC -only?" problem isn't a concern for my uses, this solution meshes best with my needs.
Originally posted by Animal Farm
"One thought might be to get the iMac and use the $1,000 you saved on one of the new ibook/macbooks when they come out. "
That's definitely what I'm doing. I want maximum performance -- and the iMac will provide just that. I have mulled it over, and the power and added benefits of the iMac (nicer display, bigger harddrive, faster disk drive, nice magnet for the remote
I'm going to take that $1000 and save it. Along with some cash I could put aside later this year, I could get a new, revised edition of the MacBook Pro or the Intel iBook (Macbook?) that's slated to be released with a Core Solo. I don't want early adopter issues, and since the whole "universal or PPC -only?" problem isn't a concern for my uses, this solution meshes best with my needs.
Great choice! I'm sure you'll be happy with it.