MacBook Pro or iMac?

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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
 

Neo


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Your Mac's Specs
white MB 2.16GHz 3GB 320GB 10.6.1
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.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
iMac Core Duo 20", iBook G4, iPhone 8GB :)
The reason why the iMac is cheaper is cause it's a desktop. That means there's less minituarization which results in cheaper components.
 
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Mac Studio, M1 Max, 32 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD
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.
 

Neo


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am I the only one who can see my post?
 
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20" iMac 2.4GHz w/ WD My Book 500GB HDD. MacBook Pro 2.4GHz. iPhone 5, white, 16 Gigs.
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.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
Al iMac 20" 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
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.
 
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15" MBP 2.2Ghz C2D 4GB RAM 120GB HDD
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.
 
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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?
 
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Your Mac's Specs
27" iMac
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.
 
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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
 
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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?
 
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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?
 
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iMac or MacBook Pro

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!
 
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iMac (one of the fancy new ones with a Core 2 Duo), MacBook, iPod 80GB
If you have a keyboard, mouse and screen (even old ones that are from a PC), your laptop can be a desktop as soon as you hook it up. This is why i would go for a laptop over a desktop if i was getting a new computer and i had loads of cash.

The reason a laptop is more expensive is because of the way the parts are made. to achieve parts that are as compact, yet still functional and dont overheat (like those found in a laptop), alot more precision must be exercised in the manufacturing, therefore the machines used are more expensive, and thus the parts are too.

In my opinion, a laptop with comparable stats to a desktop is much more useful, and a much better deal. Thusly, i would recommend getting a laptop if you have the money.
 
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I've had my MBP for nearly two years now, and it was a God-send, particularly since at the time, I really had no place to set up a desktop. Now that workspace is no longer an issue (and the bezel snapped at the MBP's notorious weak point, at the two bottom screw holes), I'm getting an iMac with a 27" monitor. I'm a little bothered by the fact that the rep @ the Apple store in Aventura, FL just tried to sell me a membership in order to transfer all of my data from the MBP to the iMac - particularly since this can be done on your own using a firewire.
 
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i just had to make this decision a couple of months ago. i went iMac 27" 2.93 quad core... then i bought 16gb off crucial for £250 and fitted it myself in 5minutes, rather than give apple the £800 upgrade. (ridiculous markup if you ask me - if they bought the ram at RETAIL prices - which they wont because they buy in massive quantities) then that is a £550 installation charge. i dont think a technicians time is worth 550 for 5minutes. ;)

but i digress... my work revolves around video and photo editing of 5D MkII video and photography, the files are huge, and i wanted a machine with a nice big screen and decent specs to work on the footage/images on. It is perfect for this.

If you want it to publish your memoirs over airport in starbucks, then its probably not quite as ideal.

it is simply a question of where will you be when you need it, if the answer is ever not at your desk, go MBP. if you can sacrifice portability for screen real estate, and more spec for your money, then iMac is the choice.
 
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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!

I promise i am not flaming here - it isnt my style, however - i think if you care to read the two pages before your post, there are quite a few answers to the question you asked :)
 

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