Should I get an iMac or a MacBook Pro

I am wondering wether or not i should get an iMac or a MacBook Pro at this time? I am a gamer, but not a hardcore one. I will occasionally play cod. Also, i will use my computer to watch movies and videos. I don't know what to get. I am deciding between something more portable or something more immersive.

The benchmarks on the best iMac desktop is not that much better then the 17" MBP laptop according to most sources: c.10400 (MBP) vs. c.11600 (iMac)+.
Get the laptop, then get an Apple 27" screen to go with it. Get the best of both worlds.
Costs more but that's life to get more options, hey ;-)
I have the same setup, and works for me.
(...oh and BTW, if you buy the MBP together with certain other Apple products (eg. screen, time capsule, et al), and purchase the advisable Applecare for the laptop; they all get covered under the laptop policy so you don't have to buy Applecare for each one individually! Which I think is a nice policy on Apple's part — though obviously they get you to buy more stuff at the same time [i.e. also a clever marketing technique] ;-)
Hope helps.
(+ source: MacTracker app [get it it's good!].)

Similar Messages

Should I get the imac 2012 or MacBook Pro retina

I can't choose between the imac 2012 or the MacBook Pro retina display. i have an iPad to take with me on the go. I am a photographer. I do lots of photo editing. I'm also a student. If you could help what would be great. What do you have? What would you get? What's best for editing photos? Remember I have an iPad, so I'm really looking for the best computer. Thanks

One plus for the MBP is that it's portable, whereas the iMac is not. And if you need more screen space when working at home, you can always keep an external monitor in your studio.
Plus for the iMac is the 'built-in' larger screen, but there is no portability.
If you want a portable machine, get a MBP - you can't do the photo editing on the iPad that you would want while you can on the MBP.
If portability is not an issue, get the iMac.
Back in the G4 days, I had both a G4 tower and a PowerBook G4. Used the first at my desk and the latter around town and around the house. Now I have only a MBP and it's tethered to my desk 90% of the time since I bought an Apple Thunderbolt Display. But I like being able to take it out for a spin that 10% of the time when I'm away from my desk.
Portability and screen size would be the deciding factors for me. A 15" MBP almost demands a larger external monitor to use for photography, etc., while the unportable iMac has the larger screen already.
So decide if you need/want portability first and foremost and then make your decision.
Clinton

Im getting a mac soon, and im deciding if i should get an imac or a macbook pro/air, i have an ipad though, so should i go with an imac because i need a real computer for school?

i need help deciding on whether an imac or a macbook, i have an ipad, but for school in need a computer, but i really dont need portability, but i like the portability, but i also like to sit down with a keyboard and a mouse in my hands, what should i do? assisstence is needed...

Have you been to an Apple Store? Because the decision really comes down to one of personal preference. It would be much easier to decide if you could experience your options in person.
I love the idea of being portable and when I can afford a MacBook I will get one. Yet right now in my life, portability is not crucial so I decided to go with an iMac. imo, the user experience is far better on an iMac compared to a MacBook, you just can't take it to Starbucks!
My iMac has become the single best, most amazing purchase I have made in my 35 years of roaming the planet, so unless portability is crucial I would recommend getting the iMac.

Should I get a 13" or 15" Macbook Pro with retina laptop?

I, FINALLY, after one year of wanting to get a new laptop to use as my primary computer replacing my desktop computer at home.........have decided to switch gears from a Windows computer to a MACBOOK PRO with RETINA laptop. It's not an easy decision when you are spending SO much money on something you hope will last a long time as I do NOT plan on getting a new laptop once I buy this one for a very long time (until it breaks / can no longer function)!
My dilemma now is whether to go with the high end 13" Macbook Pro OR get a similar if not higher end 15" Macbook Pro. Here's background on myself and what I plan on using the laptop for:
I plan on using it as my new primary computer for home so primarily for my personal use, but I will be using it also for work so I will be using it for basically EVERYTHING!
I will use it to do word processing (MS Word), to do my finances (reconcile my bank stmts/accounts), using MS Excel for accounting work, check my emails, research the Internet, photo editing (pretty much basic, definitely not advanced) and creating slideshows with my photos/music, downloading/playing music. I do not plan on using it to play any games.
I use alot of MS Office / Excel and some Powerpoint - either for work or home.
I need alot of storage space for photos (recreational - up to 400 per vacation trip) and I plan on creating slideshows with the photos using Apple's great photo/video/slideshow apps! At last count, I had about 100GB of photo files.
I also need alot of storage for my music files - I have @ least 12GB of music right now and am always downloading more each year.
I plan on taking it with me outside of home only on the weekends for the most part like to a cafe (Starbucks) or library, but not for anything further than that (not for travel as I will just take my ipad).
I know it's only ~1lb difference in weight, but a couple of my concerns is since it will be my primary home computer (i.e.I'll be using it in the evenings/on the weekends and probably more (since it's an Apple!) to work on photos/slideshows, if the screen size difference will matter in the longrun in terms of having any impact on my vision (not sure if the 2" will make a difference in that). I'm only 45yo, but I do worry about that! I tried both the 13" and 15" in the Apple store and the only difference I saw was that the 15" screen allowed you to have multiple programs visible on the screen side by side, but viewing the actual programs was the same (in size). I don't really view programs side by side right now (I use the ALT-TAB shortcut alot to view multiple programs I have open at once), but I could see how having programs viewable side by side could come in handy.
I had a Toshiba 17" laptop before that was too HEAVY to lug around even if on the weekend so I no longer want a heavy laptop and want something more portable to take with me on my weekend excursions to the local cafe/library which basically means going from home to car and car to location at most, but when I go to use the restroom, I like to take it with me (do not feel safe leaving it behind on table) so I don't want it too heavy.
I do plan on getting me a Western Digital external hard drive to backup ALL my files yet since I plan on keeping the computer for as long as it'll hold up, I want to make sure I have alot of storage to keep up with me. I like the flashdrive component because there are fewer moving parts so less likely to have problems in the long run and given that (despite my need for alot of storage), I'll backup my photos/music to external drives should I end up maxing out on my storage.
I value your opinions, please help me DECIDE!!!!! I'm frustrated and it's driving me nuts!!! I know it's too much to ask, but if they had a 14", I would probably go with it! A 2" difference seems pretty big. :-)
THANK YOU!!!

Thanks guys. I'm set on the 15" now and am now deciding on whether I should go with the standard MBP or the MBP with retina display? I'm not an advanced photographer, but I do like to take alot of photos especially when travelling and I do plan on creating slideshows with my photos synched with music. I don't think I'd be one to really be able to tell the difference between a retina vs. non-retina screen given that since I can't really tell the difference between a tv screen with vs. without HD. So for me, I don't think it'd be about the retina display at all. It is more about the storage capacity AND the fact that I hear with the retina/flash storage, that there are less apt to have problems down the road so a more sturdy a machine. Given I take alot of photos/will be creating slideshows wth my photos, and downloading/playing music, I'm thinking the standard MBP might be better storage-wise. But also given I plan on keeping this laptop for a long time (basically, until it breaks or becomes too slow to function productively), that makes me want to go the retina/flash storage route. SIGH.
Should I not be so concerned about the longevity of the machine, but rather opt for the one with more storage?

How large of a backup drive should I get for my 500 GB MacBook Pro?

I have a MBP with a 500 GB hard drive. How large of a backup drive should I get for time machine backups? If I get a 500 GB drive will it just back up everything twice (as I have 250 used) and then delete the second backup every time it rebacks up so I will just have 2 backups? Or does time machine only backup changes every time it backs up? Thanks in advance.

tehsnyderers wrote:
OK, so I ordered a Seagate 1.5 TB external drive. That should suffice for my iMac w/ 320 GB and MBP w/ 500 GB shouldnt it?
Probably. See #1 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip* at the top of this forum.
Should I just partition it 750/750? or maybe 600/600/300
Use roughly the same proportions as the data on the two Macs, adjusted for how you use them. If one changes lots of big files frequently and the other doesn't, give more space to the first one.
so I have space to put random files as well?
If you put important stuff on a 3rd partition, you can have TM back it up, too (unless the drive is attached to your Airport), but it will send you a warning reminding you that it's not a good idea to have both originals and backups on the same physical disk. You'll be much better off finding another way to back that up, perhaps archiving to CDs/DVDs.
Am I able to partition it and use it with my airport extreme?
Officially, no: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
and: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2426
But some folks (including me) are doing it anyway!
So if it works for you, just be aware it's technically unsupported, and you'll get little or no help from Apple if there are problems. And a future update may break it.

IMac or a MacBook Pro

I was wondering if I should get an iMac or a MacBook Pro. I am in high school and I have an iPad 2 so portability isn't an issue so i was wondering what people think I should do.

If the iPad 2 is working find as a portable, then get a iMac.

Should I Get an iMac, Macbook Pro, or iPad (3rd Generation))

I'm getting a new "computer" this summer, and I was wondering: Which Apple Device is right for me: iPad 3, iMac, or Macbook Pro? I realize WWDC is this summer (a day after I was planning on getting a Macbook Pro, June 10, which is my birthday) and Apple will be releasing/ unveiling their new products there. I realized that the iMac is more bang for your buck, but people are starting to lean towards portable devices, such as laptops over desktops, and tablets over laptops (mostly). I had planned to get a Macbook Pro (when the 2012 models come out) as of Sunday, April 22. But, as I realized that the prices for each are so different, considering their value, I realized this:
iMac:
"Land" - Locked
More Power for money (student discount)
Will last me longer (at least 2.5 years)
Macbook Pro:
Portable
Costs less (as of student discount)
iPad 3:
Even More Portable
Costs even Less.
Considering these, which do think I should get by the following:
Me:
Go upstate every once a month or so.
Going on vacation in the summer w/ family.
Do light gaming (Sims 3, Civ 5, Spore; not much)
Plan on bragging about being the only one in family w/ Mac (bring to relatives' houses to prove a point to my cousin that he's not the one w/ the coolest computer)
Lots of Word Processing (can use pages on iPad)
w/ iPad, I'll have more money to use on accessories (Step dad giving me $500 towards computer, I'll have $350 by June 10)
Mostly do web browsing.
Want to use in school (high school)
If I get an iPad, I can afford to upgrade it every year, but not the Macs
Will be reading lots of books next year (will be taking AP English)
Lots of notes next year (Doing Government in Social Studies next year)
Will use iTunes U if needed
Need something to fit in backpack if using in school.
Not sure if teacher will allow laptops/ tablets.
Mostly do my computing at home
So what do you think? Should I get an iMac, Macbook Pro, or an iPad 3? Thanks! Best answer gets 5 ***** for the long reading!

Wow, using computers in school. I remember when I went, teachers flipped out if you had as much as a cell phone
A couple things I would like to point out:
1.) WWDC /=/ product releases. While it is likely, no one knows for a fact what will happen at WWDC other than usual events. I would expect it, but don't jump the gun and say "a new Mac will be launched at WWDC", because they have been released before WWDC.
2.) The iPad is in a different tier than Mac, IMO. I believe iPads should be supplements to PC's, since if troubleshooting need occur, you must still have a PC to restore. (Mac is PC). So say if you suddenly go into Recovery mode, you will be stuck until you find a PC to restore to. One downfall of iOS devices, so for that reason, I will not recommend the iPad alone.
If you plan to do most of your computing at home, I would get the iMac. I am a college student, and plan on replacing my Macbook Pro (selling it) with an iMac if I can afford it. I agree with you on the "bang for your buck", but even then, iMac is still pricey. With $850, you're still shy $300 of the $1149 price w/education discount. If you want to upgrade your processor (which I would), that's even more $. Plus, software if you need it.
What exactly are you going to do with a Mac that you cannot do with a Windows PC (outside of just using the Mac OS)? The playing field is leveling out quite a bit. But, if you plan on developing of any sort, get a Mac.

How should I copy my iTunes Music folder from my iMac to my Macbook Pro

I have copied the iTunes music folder from my iMac to my Macbook Pro using firewire and target disk mode. After all the files (for files read each individual song) have been copied I find that not all songs can be played. For those which will not play I get he error message "The song "bla bla" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" When I answer "locate" on this popup I'm taken to a view of finder. If I double click on the song there, the song will play on iTunes. Seems to be something to do with the structure of the folders but in get info I cannot see a difference between songs encountering this problem and those which don't.

Instead of copying only the _iTunes music folder_, copy the entire *iTunes folder.*
That's all you need to do.

I have a iMac And a Macbook Pro but i have a app that was $70 on my iMac how to i get it on my laptop to?

I have a iMac And a Macbook Pro but i have a app that was $70 on my iMac how to i get it on my laptop to?

if it was bought from the osx app store then you just redownload it purchases ties to ones appleID so one can never buy an app more then once

I installed my new iMac with my Macbook Pro 2008 backup and created a network with the iMac and now the Macbook Pro cannot get internet.

I installed my new iMac with my Macbook Pro 2008 back up. I created a iMac network with Airport extreme, but now my Macbook Pro cannot get internet. any ideas on why or what to do about it.

Hello 1BillyMac,
It seems you have a network conflict that isn't allowing your MacBook Pro to connect to the internet. This may be caused by both computers sharing identical network settings. You may want to consider creating a new network location on your MacBook Pro to assign new network settings. The following article will instruct you on how to do that:
OS X Yosemite: Add a network location
A network location is a group of network settings
A network location is a group of network settings for your various network services (Ethernet or Wi-Fi for example).
If you often change network settings, you may find switching between locations quicker and easier than repeatedly modifying individual groups of settings.
For example, you might want to make a location for “home,” where you connect to the Internet with a telephone modem, and a location for “office,” where you connect to your company network and the Internet using Ethernet or AirPort.
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Network.
Click the Location pop-up menu, choose Edit Locations, then click Add .
Enter a name for the location, then click Done.
Enter settings for each network connection service you want to use in that location.
After you create your locations, you can switch all of your network settings by clicking the Location pop-up menu and choosing a different location.
Thank you for contributing to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Bobby_D

An Intel iMac AND a MacBook Pro for Logic Pro?

I am torturing myself over this issue lately so any input you guys could offer would be welcome!
This is the situation:
After 3 months of serious debating whether to purchase a 20" Intel iMac or a MacBook Pro for Logic Pro, I went ahead about 3 weeks ago and got the iMac. My reasoning behind this was that even though I found the portability of the MBP very desirable, the iMac simply represented a better value with the big screen and bigger hard drive. Since getting it, I must say I love this machine and I have not had one single problem with it. Logic 7.2 runs like a dream on it. By the way, aside from maintaing my iTunes Library, occasional iLife stuff and web surfing with Safari, this iMac is for music production only.
But here's the problem:
Still, I can't seem to shake the desire for OCCASSIONAL portability. Keep in mind, I am only a "serious" music hobbyist; I create instrumental hip-hop, trip-hop, electronica style of music mainly with software instruments, loops and breakbeats. So needless to say, I don't tour or do a lot of travelling. But the prospect of being able to compose tracks or make beats in Logic anywhere is DESIRABLE to say the least. I could compose while sitting on the couch watching a game or laying in bed - even though I have no idea of how often I'd actually do that, just having the ability to do it is VERY APPEALING to me. Throw in the fact that the iMac currently shares deskspace with a PC that my wife uses - meaning that I often have to stop what I'm doing to let her use the space. With a laptop, I could move and still continue my flow. Lastly, I unfortunately have bad knees and a bad back so after a couple of hours (or 3 or 4) of sitting at the desk working on Logic, I am seriously hurting. Not comfortable at all. At least owning a MacBook would give me the option to move around to some place more comfortable if I desire.
So...
Even though I recently bought a wonderful iMac that works great, I'm seriously considering getting a 1.83 MBP with at least 1GB of RAM and the 100GB/7200 RPM drive to accompany it just for the portability factor. Sure, I could get a used G4 PowerBook or iBook, but all I own is the Universal Binary of Logic Pro; I would have a hard time accepting the decrease in speed I've gotten use to on the Core Duo. Besides, I inherently have a problem buying something (even used) that I know is old and out of date when the latest and greatest is available.
So here is the $25,000 question: Am I nuts for even considering this? Am I placing too much of a premium on the portability as I would use it?
This could easily be justified if I was a working musician on the road, but that ain't me. And you can believe that I'm definately not rich and thus don't have money lying around.
But I have obsessed over this so much lately, I feel that I almost have to get it just to put my mind at ease! I even briefly considered putting the iMac on eBay and just buying a MBP to replace it, but I love the screen real estate I get with the 20" iMac and I question if I'll be truly satisfied with a 15.4" screen FULL TIME. 17" might be better, but I doubt if I can wait until June for them to arrive. In addition, everything would connected via my wireless LAN and .Mac so file sharing should not be an issue.
Help!!!
What would you do? Sell the iMac or just get a MBP as cheap as I can?
Opinions, Please!
20" iMac Core Duo, 2GHz, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB HD, 128MB VRAM Mac OS X (10.4.4)

I love the portability my powerbook gives me. You can use a PB in your setup. You can run an external monitor for either PB or MBP. You can node. Universal Binary menas it is an application which has the components written for both PPC and Intel chips-so you don't need to do conversion. Nodes won't require you buy a nother license. so the answer is down to how much the 2 upgrades and 1 crossgrades will set you back vs how much use you'll get out of them. IMO the iMac is inexpensive (I mean that in a good way-worth hooding on to). Maybe just look at a refurb PB unless you really have the extra cash.

I have a iMac Desktop and MacBook Pro laptop. I generate my work related files on both of these machines. What is the best way to keep the files in these machines synchronized?

I have a iMac Desktop and MacBook Pro laptop. I generate my work related files on both of these machines. After a few days or weeks, I have new files on some folders on either of the machines that is not on the other machine. What is the best way to keep the files in these machines synchronized?

How did you transfer the files to the iMac. If you exported the files out of the MB library using Kind = Current you should get the edited version. Any other option may not.
If you want to keep the two libraries "synced" any photos you want to move to the iMac should be added to an album, connect the two Mac with a LAN, Target Disk Mode, Transferring files between two computers using FireWire, with WiFi. and use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to copy that album from the MB library to iMac library. It will also copy the original and edited versions, keywords, titles, etc.
OT

PDFs and Word Files open on iMac but not Macbook Pro

I own an iMac and a MacBook Pro. Recently, I've been having an issue with some PDFs and Word files that have been emailed to me from different contacts. All open—and can be seen using Quick Look—on the iMac. However, on the MacBook Pro it's a different story. When I try Quick Look all I see are the icons. When I try to open the PDFs in Preview (default app for me) I get an error message saying the file could not be opened and might be damaged. When I try to open the Word doc in Word, Pages or Bean I see all of the extraneous header information etc and the text is all mixed up in that formatting junk. I have repaired permissions, cleared out my user cache, restarted—pretty much everything I can think of. But no luck. Thought?

Brilliant suggestion! I checked all the display settings on my iMac 27" and confirmed they were the same settings as my MacBook -- until I checked the Window 7 screen resolution. Because of its size, I had expanded the screen across most of the monitor. When I changed the resolution to one suggested or configured by Windows, Approach worked fine. I've now tested it on quite a few of the settings, and as long as I let Windows determine the best resolution (on my iMac 27" it seems to be 2043 x 1276), Approach works like it should. Thank you!

Problems migrating from iMac to new MacBook Pro

I just bought a MacBook Pro and am trying to use MA to migrate stuff from my iMac (Intel, OSX 10.4.11) to my MacBook Pro (Intel, OSX 10.6.3).
Problem is, every time I try ("from" iMac "to" MacBook Pro), my iMac IDs my MacBook Pro and asks for the passcode, I give it, it then asks for the passcode again, I give it again, then it churns away with the message that it's "looking for other computers". On and on and on and gets stuck in this mode.
I'm using ethernet between the two. Tried wireless also. Same issue. Downloaded the Migration & DVD/CD Sharing Update onto the iMac; it's already on the MacBook Pro. Same problem persists.
Any suggestions? (among the ten zillion firewire cables I have, none fits the MacBook Pro, so haven't tried firewire yet).
Thanks.

See:
Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4- Transferring data with Setup Assistant/Migration Assistant FAQ
OS X 10.4- Issues migrating to Mac OS X 10.5 via network connection and Migration Assistant
OS X 10.4- Issues migrating to Mac OS X 10.5 via network connection and Migration Assistant
And, selecting Mac Help from the Finder's Help menu and searching for "migrate" should find additional help.
The 10.5 document may still be useful to you since it specifically deals with the dialog you reported. Obviously it is a known problem if Apple has published a knowledge base article dealing with it.

Can I sync the same iTunes library on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro?

Can I sync the same iTunes library on both my iMac and my MacBook Pro? I've been connecting my iPhone to each and it's causing problems for me with them being different, despite my purchases always being under the same Apple ID.

The easy way to do this is to keep the library on an external drive which you can plug into either computer. Of course this isn't always the desirable solution. You can try routinely copying the library from computer to computer though this gets tiresome.
Of possible relevance:
Using iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1202 - You can manage your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers as long as you have set the device to "Manually manage music." - e.g. adding music from a second computer to an i-device.

Should I get an iMac or a MacBook Pro

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