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Why purchase an imac?

I am taking everyone's input into consideration,

in fact I am buying 24 inch display + the laptop, this way i can have desktop too(in a way)

I understand more now about the higher spec, but these higher specs are only used in two areas(games and professional) and I am just a regular photoshop user, cd burning, i am no longer making the machine works to its highest potential. Although I am looking forward to run windows.

I get the price difference now and the luxury of portability, it makes sense that the imac is more durable, high specs, and costs less. I love the imac don't get me wrong, I just do not see a reason for top of the line machine any more(As I always used to buy)

BTW, do I have to worry about this 5400rpm , 7200 rpm hard drive thing?
I do not understand these numbers
 
kingmohd84 said:
BTW, do I have to worry about this 5400rpm , 7200 rpm hard drive thing?
I do not understand these numbers
Click to expand...

Those are hard drive speeds. That tells you how many rounds the hard drive can spin in in minute (rpm=rounds per minute).

If you can go for 7200 rpm it's faster.

I know your second question will be what you gain with faster HD. Answer is: Everything loads faster, boot time is shorter, apps loads faster etc.
 
kingmohd84 said:
BTW, do I have to worry about this 5400rpm , 7200 rpm hard drive thing?
I do not understand these numbers
Click to expand...

That's just the speed of the drive. 5400 is standard for laptops and 7200 is standard for desktops. I'm no expert when it comes to the specs but I would think that faster speeds would lead to better performance.
 
I choose an iMac because I already have an old Mac Book I use for just lounging around and suring teh web. I want a machine that I can do some photo/video editing as well as manage my media files (music/photos/movies). Being that I will be looking at the screen a lot I wanted a large screen. a 17" Mac Book Pro is way out of my price range not to mention I really dislike laptop keyboards and the trackpads. I don't need the portability anyway so an iMac is perfect.
 
DarkRyan323i said:
That's just the speed of the drive. 5400 is standard for laptops and 7200 is standard for desktops. I'm no expert when it comes to the specs but I would think that faster speeds would lead to better performance.
Click to expand...

google a little more. 7200rpm is peak burst rpm. It helps yes. But for sustained reads...i.e like accessing video data; rpm is not the bottleneck.
 
Before going the laptop + monitor route really look into how many times you have felt the need for the laptop while your out and about. I know many people who sold themselves on this idea and after a few months if that long the laptop becomes a permanent fixture on the desk.
 
trip1ex said:
Just look at the specs:

snip

A $100 less buys you an iMac with a 20" screen, 2.66ghz C2D cpu, 2 gigs RAM, 320gb 720rpm hd, 9400M graphics, 5 USB ports, FW800 port, better speakers, mouse, keyboard, ....

snip.
Click to expand...

Or for the same price get the refurb 24" 2.8 for $1199 with the much better ATI 2600 GPU.

Cheers,
 
kingmohd84 said:
I am taking everyone's input into consideration,

in fact I am buying 24 inch display + the laptop, this way i can have desktop too(in a way)
Click to expand...

Perhaps part of the answer to "Who would buy an iMac?" would be "Someone with less money than you". Not tying to be rude, but that is an expensive set up you are talking of buying.

We got a 24" iMac last November, also got a couple of iPod touch's which, as has been mentioned elsewhere in the thread, cover a lot of the mobile usage if you are just thinking of surfing and checking emails in a cafe. Not perfect, but very good none the less.

Laptops have a hard life and they do seem to suffer from it, I imagine MB/MBP's are just as vulnerable as other makes. The iMac fits on the dressing table in our bedroom perfectly, like a mirror, and we ditched our old computer desk, freeing up a lot of space, so to us it takes up no more space than a laptop would.
 
You should have got an iMac and then saved your dough for the upcoming Apple Netbook. :D
 
I have a Macbook (1st gen) and wanted something with more power (including graphics) I looked at the new macbooks which are really nice, but they wouldn't be all that different. I also looked at macbook pro's, but I don't like their extra size and weight. I decided on an iMac since most of the time I use my macbook on my desk anyways. I love this computer, the screen is brilliant and it runs everything I need.

I say if you don't need portability go with the iMac for its extra performance for a lower price.
 
Hmmm, I recently got the MBP 15" and trust me all I have done since is wonder if I'd made the right decision!

I initially wanted an iMac, but then I had to take a step back and think back to how I used to be with a desktop...(this is going to sound odd)...but I used to be stuck in my spare room or bedroom all night on it totally unsociable and getting addicted to RTS games!!!

While as much as I enjoy doing that it completely takes up too much time and I don't like the thought of being tied to a desk. I don't even really need the portability for outside the house but the benefits of a MBP is that I CAN still game, but also move around the house, sitting at the dining room table in the lounge/kitchen.

I love iMacs and definitely recommend them. However, I just feel they are for certain people who don't mind being tied to the desk. I don't want all that comfort, lol, I know I'd be completely addicted to games again in front of a massive screen - not healthy.

Get a MBP :) I don't regret it now, as I think about the future and possibility of needing it for work, holiday, or even the summer months that I can take it downstairs and sit with the door open or outside!

At xmas I will get a big monitor, so that would then mean I have best of both worlds.
 
I move my iMac around the house often. Not sure that will happen when I get my 24" iMac refurb this week though.
 
Desktop harddrives are faster than laptop harddrives.
Some people don't need portability, although iMac can be portable/setup in 3 minutes, just no battery.

Display at head height instead of looking down. (can be solved with external display on laptop)
Keyboard (can be solved with external keyboard)

Some people own both desktop and laptop.

I got intel iMac, MBP 17", and more.
 
Thanks a lot for everyone, I really got the idea now.

As I mentioned earlier, I am really an imac fan, and I want an imac more than anything. I hate laptops and their tiny keyboards and stupid trackpad that I wonder how people use them.

Truth is my computer use has come down a lot. I no longer run top programs. I think on any recent computer photoshop or flash would work fine. I do this out of fun, I don't really work on the desktop any more.

So portability I guess is the way to go. I would really like to access the internet while I am in the cafe or on the go.

It is a tough choice I know. But I think I just have to step on what I want and take what is more of use to me, even if it costs more for the luxury of portability. Its hard not choosing this beautiful imac with the big screen amazing price, and beautiful glossy black frame.

Hope a year from now I do not find the need for a desktop computer.
 
kingmohd84 said:
Thanks a lot for everyone, I really got the idea now.

As I mentioned earlier, I am really an imac fan, and I want an imac more than anything. I hate laptops and their tiny keyboards and stupid trackpad that I wonder how people use them.

Truth is my computer use has come down a lot. I no longer run top programs. I think on any recent computer photoshop or flash would work fine. I do this out of fun, I don't really work on the desktop any more.

So portability I guess is the way to go. I would really like to access the internet while I am in the cafe or on the go.

It is a tough choice I know. But I think I just have to step on what I want and take what is more of use to me, even if it costs more for the luxury of portability. Its hard not choosing this beautiful imac with the big screen amazing price, and beautiful glossy black frame.

Hope a year from now I do not find the need for a desktop computer.
Click to expand...

Good decision. It's always hard to choose between desktop and laptop, but when you go inside yourself and think, which one do I need more? Laptop or desktop? Usually you get the answer that way.

Which one you are going to?
 
The answer to your question is simple. The iMac is for those who want more power than the (still underpowered, in my opinion) Mac Mini, but don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a Mac Pro, and don't need the portability/already have a laptop. Like me, for example. Also, the iMac is BY FAR the most stylish Apple product.
 
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