02-11-2008, 01:32 PM

Im gonna buy a mac for my birthday switching from a pc to a mac for the first time, but i need help choosing which mac.

Money is not an option but why is the imac soo much less money than the macbook pro and has way better specifications than the macbook pro. I just want too get a decent mac but i hear the macbook pro is gonna have trackpad as it's update like the macbook air has now.
I want the most expensive imac or the high end macbook pro 15 inch, but which one?

Here are the specs;
macbook pro-£1596.00
2.4GHz
15.4inch widescreen
160GB HD,2GB Ram

imac-£1326.58
2.8GHz
24inch TFT display
320GB HD,1GB Ram

plz help, gonna buy for my birthday in May

02-11-2008, 02:19 PM

To understand why the iMac is cheaper, try carrying the iMac around with you at work. Careful! The battery life is really short on an iMac (about zero seconds). Also, I don't think a 24" laptop has ever been produced.
So to decide, ask yourself whether you want portable computer or not. Remember, a laptop can also act as a desktop, while a desktop can only act as an anchor.

About the MacBook Pro gaining the multitouch touchpad: you hear a lot of things that may or may not be true. I don't see that happening before your birthday in May.

02-11-2008, 02:27 PM

The reason why the iMac is cheaper is cause it's a desktop. That means there's less minituarization which results in cheaper components.

02-11-2008, 03:44 PM

You really need to decide about two things:

1/ How important is portability to you?

2/ How important is screen size to you?

These two should steer your choice, particularly if money is not the issue.

02-11-2008, 05:11 PM

am I the only one who can see my post?

02-11-2008, 05:21 PM

no man, yours is really good,

02-11-2008, 06:22 PM

As others have indicated, miniaturization and heat dissipation are the factors that contribute to increase cost. The iMac is very slim when compared to other desktop systems. But it is still a desktop with comparatively greater space to fit components and dissipate heat when compared to a laptop. This issue is not unique to Macs. They are fairly constant with any computer manufacturer.

02-11-2008, 07:08 PM

We always get questions about whether to buy a desktop or a laptop.

It's one of those questions only the purchaser can answer.

Portable + smaller screen or non-portable + bigger screen.

02-11-2008, 09:16 PM

Pretty simple if you ask me. As the others have said, if you think you might want to take your work with you, get the MBP. If not, get the iMac. Personally I'd go with the MBP either way and then if you decide you want more screen real estate just buy an external mouse/keyboard/monitor. It's really the best of both worlds at that point.

02-12-2008, 01:11 AM

starting to want to know the same question.
so being portable and all the MBP is going to run slower compared to the imac, like if they are all the same specs they will run the same?

02-12-2008, 02:32 AM

iMacs and MacBooks both use laptop innards... so essentially they both will perform the same way... you get a few bigger and slightly faster options on the iMacs, but none of them besides the screen size and HDD space really make a huge difference in performance.

Speaking of... I am selling off my MBP... I decided I want the awesome 24" 1920x1200 screen size over my portable MBP. Everytime I look at those iMacs I just start drooling.

02-12-2008, 03:54 AM

seems like a simple enough question to me... go for the macbook pro. a laptop is a desktop as soon as you put it on your desk, and if your really worried about screen size, but want portability as well, just get an extra screen (great ones for cheap at www.newegg.com) a keyboard and a mouse and connect everything up... sure you gotta throw a bit of extra cash at it, but then you get everything you could possbily want

02-12-2008, 12:04 PM

thanks for all your comments i had a desktop and have a laptop currently i dont go out with my laptop i mainly stay in my room in a year i go downstaris once or twice.
P.S. is there an update gonna come out for the imac by May?

02-12-2008, 11:41 PM

so if i have a monitor and keybord/mouse that i wouldnt be getting rid of when i got a mac, your saying to pay a few exctra hundred and get a MBP? So i wont have trouble with it being a laptop compared to a desktop?

02-13-2008, 01:16 PM

i want to get a mac for my birthdayin may changin from a pc to a mac but dont know what to get.

I mainly stay in my room doing homework, i dont know whether to get the 24inch imac or the 15inch high end macbook pro. Money is not an option, but why is the laptop soo much more money.

Oh and by the way, is there going to be an updat for the imac or macbook pro, maybe trackpad for the macbook pro?

Anyway... plz give me your advice
THANKS!