# Macbook Pro 13" or iMac 21" ?



## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Well, I've replaced the guts in my PC around 3 times over the last 10 years and I've decided it's time to try something different. I'm buying my first MAC.

Time for those credit card reward points to do something useful.

The 13" Macbook Pro and the 21" iMac not only have the same specs, but they friggin' cost the same!

I've always had desktops. For the past 5 years I've also had a laptop, but it's kinda crappy and I never got much use out of it.

I've never really found myself saying "hm, it would be swell if I could be on the living room couch right now instead of sitting at my desk" but sure - the added portability would be nice.

So ........ besides the "if portability is important to you - get the macbook" argument - is there anything that would cause me to get one over the other?


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## rossfingal (Mar 20, 2011)

Screen size.
I've been on friend's computers -
13" and 21" (Macs) -
21" is more "user-friendly"
Nice screen!

rossfingal


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

Any laptop is always more susceptible to damage mostly of course because it is portable. Damage from drops, being left where it can be stepped on or sat on and spills. Even a small spill into the laptop keyboard can destroy it. I get nervous anytime the little ones get near my laptop!

Not very likely the Imac would be moved around regularly or left sitting on the couch or floor, and if you spill on the Imac keyboard you just go buy a new keyboard.

Screen size, the Imac is huge by comparison.
Entry level Imac is *quad* core i5, the entry level MBP is *dual* core i5 and the Imac will also has faster, more powerful graphics. 
The 13" MB pro is still a great computer and still plenty for most users, but by the Imac is actually a faster machine.

Really just comes down to how you use it.
If you need or want the portability then go with the macbook pro, if you prefer to use it sitting at your desk or you want more power for photo or video editing the Imac is probably a better choice.

Found this video, the hard drive specs have changed since it was uploaded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPL6GuMKQQI


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## Ironlight (Apr 13, 2011)

The iMac is probably going to have a slight edge in terms of reliability if only because of heat and impact related issues.

If I were you and I did not find myself saying "I wish I had a laptop" with some frequency I would go for the iMac. It's a superior machine in all respects other than portability.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Yep .... starting to lean towards the iMac.

Easier & Cheaper to buy a $300 netbook 6 months from now If I'm missing some portability than buying a $1000 apple cinema display if I'm missing some screen.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Just thought of a third option........

Mac Mini, beef it up w/ 4 gigs of ram, wireless keyboard, mouse, superdrive & DVI adapter plus a non-apple 23" monitor.

Should actually come out to less and that would be a hell of a machine.


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## roasted (Jan 23, 2012)

I might be a little late to the decision making game here, but when it comes to computers I tend to follow a certain path. For laptops, I go as cheap as possible. My Intel Atom 12" netbook running Ubuntu will likely be the same laptop I'll have for the next 8 years. It's convenient and does what I need. I'd much rather invest my money into a desktop that I can do more work on. Given the choice on a desert island where Mac was my only possible choice without any other brand considerations being an even slight potential option, I'd go with the iMac over Macbook Pro. That's not saying anything negative against the Macbook Pro at all. I just prefer cheap disposable laptops that I can easily replace in case it gets dropped/stolen/lost.

So anyway, what did you go with?


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## cprice12 (Jan 3, 2011)

No video card on the 13" macbooks either. Just onboard video.
I'm a pc guy...have owned macbook pros and macs before too.
Go imac over 13" macbook if you go mac.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Well I actually don't have it yet - I ended up tearing out my kitchen (other thread coming) and just finished that not too long ago.

That being said - this is back on now, and I've decided to go with the 21" iMac. Thanks for the feedback.


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## CoconutPete (Jan 22, 2010)

Well ... I have the iMac at home. $54 out of pocket after gift cards bought w/ credit card points. I'm loving it so far. I need to get used to the file structure and folder navigating etc, but I got my music land file library transferred.


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## Brian Andreas (Mar 23, 2012)

If you want something portable that you can take on airplanes or anywhere basically I'd go with the Macbook Pro. In my opinion, the iMac probably has better graphics.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

mac is what i started with, first a powermac g3 then a powermac g4 and now a macpro,the macpro has dual intel processors and therefor can run windows, in fact it run windows faster then most windows computers. now i knew nothing about computers when i was given my first g3, believe me i messed up a lot. they are industrial. pretty much impervious to any virus, unless you download and install one. anyway if you compare a mac layout to windows im sure youll see a huge difference in quality. any of the newer macs is going to be a big upgrade over windows, and like i said you can run windows on mac, vmware has a program, also mac comes with boot camp thats does the same thing. just make sure the one your buying has a intel processor. they also come with time machine for hourly backups. when you add everything up youll see there worth the extra money. ive had friends that finally got tired of updating virus protection and other windows problems and bit the bullet and bought a mac.


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## roasted (Jan 23, 2012)

hotrod351 said:


> mac is what i started with, first a powermac g3 then a powermac g4 and now a macpro,the macpro has dual intel processors and therefor can run windows, in fact it run windows faster then most windows computers. now i knew nothing about computers when i was given my first g3, believe me i messed up a lot. they are industrial. pretty much impervious to any virus, unless you download and install one. anyway if you compare a mac layout to windows im sure youll see a huge difference in quality. any of the newer macs is going to be a big upgrade over windows, and like i said you can run windows on mac, vmware has a program, also mac comes with boot camp thats does the same thing. just make sure the one your buying has a intel processor. they also come with time machine for hourly backups. when you add everything up youll see there worth the extra money. ive had friends that finally got tired of updating virus protection and other windows problems and bit the bullet and bought a mac.


Er, uh.. :huh: Hate to play this card, but:


Updating anti virus software AND running scans can be set 100% automatic, taking out the "tiresome chore" that having an anti virus seems to be.
Windows 7 actually has a decent interface... I don't really see any visual differences in quality, but maybe I'm just agnostic to the differences in the interfaces of W7 and OSX...
No system is virus proof. Mac users installing anti virus software is becoming more common, even though Mac systems are still targeted less than Windows.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

more than few friends have switched to mac. like i said you can always run windows on a mac. but then i really dont need to try and convince any one. any one that switches finds out within a week how much better and easier mac is. mac does the convincing itself. put it like this = i dont know any one that switched to mac then switched back to windows. i mess around with my virtual machine running windows 7 once in a while. so far i havent found anything i have needed windows, other than amusement.


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## roasted (Jan 23, 2012)

hotrod351 said:


> more than few friends have switched to mac. like i said you can always run windows on a mac. but then i really dont need to try and convince any one. any one that switches finds out within a week how much better and easier mac is. mac does the convincing itself.


I work in a mixed environment, and I've heard that opinion go back and forth with all platforms. The thing that burns the Windows experience is the ridiculous bloatware that you get on prepackaged systems at Best Buy, etc. A vanilla Windows 7 experience is just as easy as Mac OSX. Granted, that's my personal opinion, but I have the opportunity of working with a large volume of people to feel confident in that opinion.



hotrod351 said:


> mac does the convincing itself. put it like this = i dont know any one that switched to mac then switched back to windows.


I hate to get into this... but... I will... Apple is notorious for being in a continual upgrade frenzy. Not just for software, but for software that requires newer hardware... The argument can be made just the same against Windows, but it scales far differently in the long run. As far as specs go, we have Macs that are capable of running 10.7 just fine, but can't because Apple flat out blocks the ability to update since they deem it as too obsolete, thereby forcing us to upgrade our systems. It's kind of like the recent iOS 6 update, where a lot of iOS 6 features are fully capable of running on the older iPhones, yet they just... won't... because they're disabled to do so. Instead of upgrading 4,000 systems with the painful price tag we were given, we decided to save money and went other avenues. We are in the process of phasing out our Mac systems in favor of Ubuntu (and some Windows 7) powered Lenovo systems. We began the transition over a year ago, and so far, it's been pretty buttery smooth. Another neighboring district to us of equal size has also traditionally been Mac but is making the switch too. It's far from rare to hear the same story from other districts and businesses. 

I know that my personal experience accounts for such a minimal blip on the radar, but if I had to voice an opinion based on what I've seen, Apple is turning into more of an end user type of business... they're aiming for the high school student, the college student, the work-from-your-home-office dad, etc. I just don't see Apple systems in the enterprise like I used to. It's foolish to argue their success since it's so profound in the industry, but I just think their user base is changing as we move forward.

Especially when you consider the costs of the systems it only adds more sting. It's one thing to be a home user and save up some change for a newer Apple system... but that *burns* businesses who don't have the cash to be investing in hardware that has a significantly shorter life span than alternatives. Just look at how many systems are still on XP... and it was released, what, 10, 11 years ago? Yet a lot of Macs we have that aren't even 5 years old are "too old to be updated."

Don't get me wrong, I think Apple has a serious foot print in the industry, and they have some rock solid uses. I guess I'm just a little more resistant to adopting Apple equipment because of how much of a hassle they've been in a larger environment, both on the financial scale and the support scale. That said, this thread was created for a Mac vs Mac debate, not a why/why not Apple is/isn't a smart choice debate. Your mileage may vary. Good luck with whatever platform you go with. Just make sure it does what you need it to! Nothing like having a hammer to drive a screw into the wall.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

like i said. once some one has switched they never switch back.


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## roasted (Jan 23, 2012)

hotrod351 said:


> like i said. once some one has switched they never switch back.


Never say never. Plus, if you would have actually read my last post, I gave a few examples to the contrary.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

i dont bother reading to much about windows being better than mac. why, well ive only ever had a mac. ive messed up big time learning how to operate a computer, knew nothing about computers when i got my first mac, and never, and i mean never, had a mac crash. never had to take it in and have anything done to it. you pay more for a mac because, well its like comparing a base line kia rio to a top of the line lexus, guess thats how you spell the name, ofcourse the lexus is more yet they both have engines, windows, the rio having windows 7, had to say that. but a little difference. anyway when mac came out with the intel processors they did it all. the old story that people only write viruses for windows comes out of the mouths of windows users. they have to make some kind of excuse for getting so many of them and macs not getting them. in fact mac offered $10,000.00 to any one that could write a virus for a mac. its nice to know i can go to sites and download things that would scare the pants off a window user, music and more. guess its like PS3 verses XBOX 360, have both of them also, well ps3 for me and xbox 360 for the wife. and thats a perfect example of windows verses mac, mac being ps3, ps3 much more power, ps3 lots of free stuff. xbox = well microsoft, you want to use netflix, well you have to pay, want to play online, have to pay. ps3 = free. hey to each there own. but i know for a fact the person here buying a macbook or imac will never look back, and you know it too. yes windows lost another customer to mac.


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## roasted (Jan 23, 2012)

hotrod351 said:


> i dont bother reading to much about windows being better than mac. why, well ive only ever had a mac. ive messed up big time learning how to operate a computer, knew nothing about computers when i got my first mac, and never, and i mean never, had a mac crash. never had to take it in and have anything done to it. you pay more for a mac because, well its like comparing a base line kia rio to a top of the line lexus, guess thats how you spell the name, ofcourse the lexus is more yet they both have engines, windows, the rio having windows 7, had to say that. but a little difference. anyway when mac came out with the intel processors they did it all. the old story that people only write viruses for windows comes out of the mouths of windows users. they have to make some kind of excuse for getting so many of them and macs not getting them. in fact mac offered $10,000.00 to any one that could write a virus for a mac. its nice to know i can go to sites and download things that would scare the pants off a window user, music and more. guess its like PS3 verses XBOX 360, have both of them also, well ps3 for me and xbox 360 for the wife. and thats a perfect example of windows verses mac, mac being ps3, ps3 much more power, ps3 lots of free stuff. xbox = well microsoft, you want to use netflix, well you have to pay, want to play online, have to pay. ps3 = free. hey to each there own. but i know for a fact the person here buying a macbook or imac will never look back, and you know it too. yes windows lost another customer to mac.


For what it's worth, you using a Mac is by all means justified as it's what works for you. That's what's important at the end of the day, no? You have to use the right tool for the right job. The fact that you have only used a Mac (said it yourself in the 2nd sentence above) begs the question in my mind if you've ever dove into W7 enough to really even begin to compare them. Pros and cons to both scenarios, I suppose. Keep in mind, I'm not a Windows fanboy. I hate Apple and Microsoft equally. :laughing:

Some LOL-able FYI's:

Kia is majority owned by Hyundai. Last I heard, Hyundai had the most technologically advanced car manufacturing plant, even surpassing that of Lexus.
The PS3 network might be free, but they also stored customer information in plain text files at one point. Sure, they're likely very secure now, but with a heavily tarnished reputation.
Put yourself in a hacker's shoes. You're making a virus. Do you want to aim for 8% of the users, or 90% of the users? It's not a "Windows users being mouthy" comment, it's called making some damn sense.
Ignorance is the #1 reason for viral infections. Just because you're on a Mac doesn't mean you can be foolish and care free. After all, 500,000 Macs are still infected with the flashback trojan. What's their excuse?


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

again. i have both operating systems on my computer so i know from experience what each system does. mac does not have updates all the time, and the ones it does do not require hardware. just like all the people that bought a xbox, they go on and on about how great they are, knowing that they made a big mistake in buying one but are stuck with it. think of it, mac comes with bootcamp that lets you run windows, ofcourse you have to have a windows disc to install the windows system. the reason macs to sell as much as windows is your not going to go into walmart and buy a mac for $400.00. guess it comes down to you get what you pay for, except in the case of windows because with windows you keep paying and paying and paying. i have one anti virus program, ClamXav, free. thats it. i run MSE on my virtual machine running windows 7, its also free. tell you this = pop-ups, heard about them but never seen them, but then always been on mac, started using windows and whoa there all over the place. sure you can get software to stop most of it but not needed with mac. anyway i think this discussion has run its course. windows is good for you and mac is good for me.


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## roasted (Jan 23, 2012)

I'm sure you know this, but pop-ups are going to be more related to the web browser than the operating system.... which only throws more :huh::huh::huh: on the table in regard to why that was even brought up as a comparison point between the operating systems...

For what it's worth, I don't really use Windows anymore. All of my systems these days are running Linux. But I also won't undeservingly slam Windows when W7 is actually pretty solid (or praise OSX as the 'end-of-all-others' OS when it has its own array of downfalls), hence why I replied as such in earlier posts.


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## hotrod351 (Jun 15, 2012)

like i said, i had heard about pop-ups and knew what there were. when using vmware fusion with windows 7 and going to the same sites that i go to under osx i see the pop-ups, i dont see them when using osx. now about Linux is suppose to be the system to use. i know most people use that on there PS3,s. i could use it on my mac but havent felt a need for it.


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