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Just out of curiosity, why did you guys choose imacs?

Anyone bought an iMac simply because they could not afford to buy a mac pro ?

( I know you get a screen as well... but seriously the mac pro prices are astronomical these days.. leaving the iMac the only desktop available as the mini is so outdated it doesnt count )
 
lewchenko said:
Anyone bought an iMac simply because they could not afford to buy a mac pro ?

( I know you get a screen as well... but seriously the mac pro prices are astronomical these days.. leaving the iMac the only desktop available as the mini is so outdated it doesnt count )
Click to expand...
Exactly. I would have bought a mini if it were more up to date, but as it is it is just a terrible buy. I would have bought a Mac Pro if they still had entry model like they used to have in the G5 days. As it stands now the iMac is the only reasonable alternative.
 
SpamJunkie said:
I expect my 24" will be far less portable than the old white 17"! heh

Then there are the people that buy the 17" macbook, hookup a keyboard and mouse they like and take the thing out fo the house once a year :p
Click to expand...

I'd do that but 17" is way too expensive.
 
The truth? The absolute embarrassing truth? OK then. Because I had become the "family" PC expert. That's why. I've had a PC in my home since the mid '80's, and I had gotten to the point of completely building my own systems to save money. (That's what I told my wife, but it was actually so I could get better internals for the same price ;) ). Whenever anyone in the "family" needed or wanted a new PC or to upgrade an existing one - they called me. As the years went by, the "family" got bigger as more children were added. I have 9 brothers and sisters, and my wife has 8. Are you getting the picture?

A laptop was ruled out because I didn't want it to be portable, and a Mac Pro was too expensive. So, an iMac. No more trips to the nephews or nieces on a game night. And no more clutter in my 'puter room. Besides, the iMac is drop-dead gorgeous.:rolleyes: And, as an added bonus, whenever anyone in the family calls, I say " Gee, sorry but I'm way out of date on PC stuff, I have a Mac now. Wish I could help." :rolleyes:

Rich :cool:
 
What I really wanted was a headless Mac (below the caliber of the MacPro) I could upgrade, but since that doesn't exist the iMac was the next best option. :D
 
Great, great question!

I'm in the middle of the debate myself. I've been very heavily looking at a high end Macbook or a 15" Pro for use. I must be the only person in America that doesn't own a computer.

I realized that my iPhone functions AS my laptop. It does almost everything that my sister's Dell does in a much smaller footprint. And future revisions are only looking better for the iPhone.

I'm waiting for the iMac refresh to see what changes are made. I'd also like to wait for SL before purchasing but...

Can you use the Cinema disply as a HDTV replacement? Why would I need a portable laptop AND the iPhone? Or does having two machines that work on-the-go provide more functionality in real life?
 
yep.

lewchenko said:
Anyone bought an iMac simply because they could not afford to buy a mac pro ?

( I know you get a screen as well... but seriously the mac pro prices are astronomical these days.. leaving the iMac the only desktop available as the mini is so outdated it doesnt count )
Click to expand...

That's exactly why I bought an iMac.

And I actually had the OP's setup with a MacBook and an external. And I hated it. It took a lot of work to unplug/replug, it left a mess on the desk when the laptop was gone, and the wife hated it. Since I really didn't want to drop Mac Pro money, I went with the 24" iMac Core 2 Duo (and upgraded to 4GB of RAM).

I'm traveling a bit more for work now, so I'm about to buy a MacBook Pro. Not for performance, or Firewire or anything like that...I just want the bigger screen.
 
It's a no brainier to pick the iMac over notebook + external display.

iMac is all about simplicity, which I love. Before purchasing the 3.06Ghz iMac back in April '08, I took another look of the MBP + external display. The spec and price were out of my budget. I settled with my 3.06Ghz iMac + iPhone 3G.
 
Mac Pro is out because of the price. I don't need portability, so an iMac was a much better value than a notebook + monitor.

My iMac with 4GB RAM really does great running PhotoShop. I see few beachballs and not for very long.
 
Don't need portability (well I didn't when I bought it, I might need it at some point this year - here's hoping it happens after the next portable makeover).

The no-clutter approach of the Imac simplifying the whole setup greatly appeals to me (even tho I was aware of the disadvantadges of a converged design).

Don't need the Mac Pro's extras (and I won't for the foreseeable future).

I got a 24", resolution + size = win. I wish there was a 32" available, I'd replace my telly with one.
 
lewchenko said:
Anyone bought an iMac simply because they could not afford to buy a mac pro ?

( I know you get a screen as well... but seriously the mac pro prices are astronomical these days.. leaving the iMac the only desktop available as the mini is so outdated it doesnt count )
Click to expand...

I could have afforded a Mac Pro, I didn't need it.
 
i don't need portability in my Macs, that's what my iPhone is for ;)

my Mac is used primarily for photo editing, and on horsepower, screen, hard drive, and pretty much every other spec the iMac wins over a laptop + display
 
I needed the power, the Mac Pro was too expensive, and I already had a macbook air. It was replacing my old PC desktop which died one day. Plus my bro works at apple and I got a 25% discount on the 3.06 24 in version
 
Well - I have been troubled by this choice now for a long time - and finally decided to take the plunge and go for the 15' MBP, 2.53, since we tend to go travelling every other weekend. Never opened the box, and went back for an iMac 24, 3.06 4GB - unpacked it and immediately regretted my choice. :confused:

So, here I am with last years iMac, no funds, and a longing for a MBP. :eek:
 
MrYohan said:
Well - I have been troubled by this choice now for a long time - and finally decided to take the plunge and go for the 15' MBP, 2.53, since we tend to go travelling every other weekend. Never opened the box, and went back for an iMac 24, 3.06 4GB - unpacked it and immediately regretted my choice. :confused:

So, here I am with last years iMac, no funds, and a longing for a MBP. :eek:
Click to expand...
Yes, different people will have different needs. If I traveled that much I would probably want the laptop/monitor combination as well. Since I rarely travel, I sold my laptop/monitor, ordered a refurb iMac, and bought a cheap netbook for those few occasions when I need a portable. I really would have liked the 24" (I have one at work) but could not justify the price to myself. BTW, that iMac will still sell for enough to get you a refurb MBP and a used 24" monitor (not IPS though).
 
I bought the 17" Macbook Pro April 9, 2008. I decked it out. 2.6Ghz CPU, 4Gb Ram, 1920x1200 Glossy display. What I wanted was a powerful desktop Mac in my lap. I also bought 2 iMacs. A refurb. 17" Late 2006 for my desk at work, and a new entry level 20" with 4Gb Ram for the home. 5 kids (15,11,9,7,5). They love the iMac. Macbook Pro is MINE! I share it only with my girlfriend. The refurb 17" is max out Ram at 2Gb which I put in. Works really well. That iMac replaced a 1Ghz G4 eMac.
 
I moved between desktops and notebooks on my last several purchase. Heck, there were 2 CRT iMac G3s, iBook G4, last revision of PowerMac G4, and original PowerMac G5 in my room at one time. I rarely took my iBook G4 away from home. At night, I used it on my bed that's all. Now, a much powerful iMac and iPhone 3G fit my needs. I do consider a MacBook Air, but I wish it supports 4gigs of RAM.
 
Unfortunately, refurbs are not available here in Sweden, otherways that would be a given.

I called the store today - they would check with their headquarters - if I'm lucky I may get to return it if I buy the MBP I want. (both of them were in stock, although I had it upgraded to 4GB)
 
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likemyorbs said:
aaquib said:
2.4GHZ MacBook - $1599
24" External Display - $299 - $899

Total: From $1900 to $2500!

Price of an iMac: $1199.

Portability isn't worth over $700 for everyone.
Click to expand...

Price of a 24 inch iMac: $1,799

you can get a 20 inch screen for about $150 these days. i guess im just more willing to sacrifice the power, my aluminum 2.0 macbook is powerful enough for me. so $1,250+$150= $1400, only $200 more than the base imac, but you get a laptop AND a desktop. seems worth it to me.
Click to expand...

But you don't really have a desktop. The MacBook has a slower processor, smaller hd, weaker graphics, and is much louder (which is the killer for me).

Don't get me wrong - MacBook + display is an option I went with for a while, but now that I have an iMac, I can tell you that it's way better (if you don't need portability anymore, which I don't).
 
SpamJunkie said:
iMac has :
  • twice as much L2 cache
  • a faster HD
  • a bigger HD
  • a faster video card
  • dedicated video memory
  • a lower cost

And that's the current generation of iMac. When they get refreshed (soon) the iMac will be even more performant for a way lower cost.
Click to expand...

I wish the lower cost went for their laptops too, the hp I bought recently has more power than an ibook and was at least $200 cheaper, plus the hp has a passive and active touch screen. sucks that I'm not a desktop person.

anyway I chose my g3 because it was only $10 for a working computer (SE too), keyboard and mouse with microsoft office on it.

I've been using it for word, e-mails and mainly as a (great) juke box (harmon kardon sound system on the SE)

been wanting to expand its usage recently though,
-Tyler
 
auto123 said:
I wish the lower cost went for their laptops too, the hp I bought recently has more power than an ibook and was at least $200 cheaper, plus the hp has a passive and active touch screen. sucks that I'm not a desktop person.

anyway I chose my g3 because it was only $10 for a working computer (SE too), keyboard and mouse with microsoft office on it.

I've been using it for word, e-mails and mainly as a (great) juke box (harmon kardon sound system on the SE)

been wanting to expand its usage recently though,
-Tyler
Click to expand...

iBook?

u know they make a MacBook now right?
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
iBook?

u know they make a MacBook now right?
Click to expand...

same difference, either way your paying at least $1000 for $600 worth of hardware. (core 2 duo, nvidia integrated and only 2 gigs of ram)

for $1000 you can get a laptop that supports dx10 and will make vista run so fast you'd have a change of heart for microsoft.

although I dislike the computers, I do like the os,
-Tyler
 
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