Considering an iMac over a MacBook Pro. Thoughts?

[Nikos]

I recently sold my C2D unibody 17" MBP with the intention of upgrading to the new i7 model. To be honest, I have never entertained the idea of owning an iMac. I love Apple notebooks, but when it comes to desktops I have stuck with my PC for gaming.

In the last couple of days, however, I noticed that the price of an iMac is about the same as a new MacBook Pro (depending on configuration). In some cases, I might even be able to save some money by getting an iMac instead. I played with one for a little bit in the store and really enjoyed it. The resolution on the 27" is fantastic, and the screen is gorgeous.

I understand comparing a 27" iMac to a MacBook Pro is like comparing apples to oranges, however, has anyone else been in a similar situation? In the end, what did you go with?

My MBP didn't really leave the house much, but it was nice to have it in the living room. The iPad sort of makes up for it, but not entirely. I think it would still be nice to have a notebook, but the thought of a 27" iMac won't leave my mind. If I do decide to go with an iMac, I'd have to figure out where to put my PC's monitor but I'll save that for later.

 

[Queso]

Personally I'm waiting for the next iMac revision to see whether the i5/i7 and associated chipset goodness goes into all models. At the moment the MBPs are "half" a generation ahead of the iMacs, whereas Apple typically keeps the two lines together performance wise.

EDIT : So, back on topic, I'd go with the MBP at the moment if I were you.

 

[nj-mac-user]

This is actually a no-brainer decision. If the computer never leaves the same spot, definitely go with the imac. The only reason it'd make any sense to go with a MBP is if you'd need to make use of its mobility. I was in the same situation as you at one point. I had a uMBP and realized that it never left my desk at home, so why didn't I just get an imac? I got an imac and the performance difference was like night and day obviously because laptop parts are inferior to desktop.

 

[macmaniacattack]

I just had to make the same decision, I never have the want or need to leave the house with my computer and the 27inch screen over the 17inch sealed the deal, quad core , 8gigs of ram, etc. Portability would be the option if If you travel much, but if you are a stay at home gamer such as myself, I'd say iMac!!

 

[Tango Charlie]

I'm in a similar situation. Was waiting for the new MBPs, discovered how delightful the iMacs are. My only real concern now is that the 27" is so big, and I both use a Cintiq and live in a one-bedroom apartment, so space is at a premium. I figured the MBP would provide good space savings plus would be useful for working from the couch or whatever, but the iMac screen us so much more beautiful and the hardware seems more powerful.
So, we'll see. Maybe something interesting will happen next week. Maybe a cheap Mac Pro?

 

[Swift Sketcher]

I too want to upgrade from MBP to imac. It seems (counting that the revision comes in a week) that the imac is more bang for buck vs the laptop line.

 

[Omnigray]

you get way more bang for your buck with the imac at the sacrifice of portability.

I was in the same situation and the solution for me was i got the 27" imac then dropped like 250 on a used hp netbook if i needed simple portability for any reason.

 

[xboxbuckeye]

I'd get an iMac unless you must be able to travel with a laptop. I have a core i7 27" iMac and the screen size / resolution alone is enough to make the decision an easy one IMO.

 

[ccwoolf]

I was having the same problem as you are now. I decided to go for the iMac just because the portability wasn't a huge deal to me. Also you have an iPad which of course doesn't replace an MBP but for me anyways an iPad will pretty much do anything that I need it to do outside of my house. Plus iMac + iPad isn't that much more expensive then an MBP alone.

 

[cathy88]

If, there is a revision for iMac I can see the 27" base model get a i5 dual core with nvidia GT330M and the next base would be i5 quad core at higher clock rate then already maybe with a better graphic card. Where i7 quad core is still BTO but perhapy rather then i860 they change it to i870.

With the 21.5" imac probably all get i5 cpu with nvidia GT330M.

Either way although people say its getting updated through in next few days, I personally dont think so, however there is no harm in waiting for 2-3 days to see what happens.

Lastly if your computer gonna sit at one spot forever just get iMac.

 

[mtnDewFTW]

I was in the same situation as you a couple months ago, but went with the iMac. But I wish I had gotten a MBP.
I haven't only had a ton of problems with this machine, I feel like I'd enjoy the portability more.

 

[Grolsch30]

I was going to get the 15" MBP but have decided to get the iMac 27 i5 and treat myself to an iPad t o use on the move to compliment the iMac.

Just going to wait for a week or two and see what if any updates are revealed.

 

[JCCash]

If your current MBP works fine then buy the best iMac you can afford. I have the older 24" iMac for home. Sometimes I would like to use it in my living room while watching TV but I simply bring up Hulu watch a program on my iMac while I work.

I'm not debating buying a MBP 13' or 15" as well as the iPad. I'm starting to travel more often. Not 100% sure the iPad will be enough horse power for my work needs.

 

[Amasashi]

If you're only going to be using the computer in one spot all the time, then definitely go iMac. You get a huge screen, better specs, and the computer is amazingly fast. If you have light mobile computing needs, consider an iPad for on the go web browsing and casual gaming.