Which Apple Computer is better? 16" Macbook Pro or 27" iMac?

[john10001]

Which Apple Computer do you prefer and which is better? 16" Macbook Pro or 27" iMac?

No upgrades just these specs as shown on the website.

These are the details on both and full specs. They are very similar in price. The Macbook Pro is more portable whereas the iMac is more powerful except on memory.


1)

Macbook Pro 16"
2.6GHz 6-Core Processor
512GB Storage
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M
2.6GHz 6-core 9th-generation Intel Core i7 processor
Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
512GB SSD storage¹
16-inch Retina display with True Tone
Magic Keyboard
Touch Bar and Touch ID
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
£2,399.00


2)

iMac 27"
3.8GHz 8-Core Processor with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
512GB Storage
Retina 5K Display
3.8GHz 8-core 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor
Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, configurable up to 128GB
512GB SSD storage¹
Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8GB of GDDR6 memory
Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
Retina 5K 5120x2880 P3 display with True Tone (optional nano-texture glass available)
£2,299.00


No upgrades just the ones shown on the site.

Which do you prefer? And which is better?

[GoSeigen]

Which Apple Computer do you prefer and which is better? 16" Macbook Pro or 27" iMac?

No upgrades just these specs as shown on the website.

These are the details on both and full specs. They are very similar in price. The Macbook Pro is more portable whereas the iMac is more powerful except on memory.

[...]

Which do you prefer? And which is better?

No one can say which is better. It really depends on the use.
-Do you need the portability? Buy the MacBook Pro.
-Do you need the power or beautiful large screen? Get the iMac.


Are you not that bothered either way? They both have a decent spec, but given the price is similar the portability of the laptop makes it much more versatile. If you have a TV with HDMI then you can use it as a display quite easily with the purchase of a nice long connecting lead. I've used portable Macs exclusively for years and really not missed anything, but for a serious gamer or video editor the iMac may be more suitable.

As a general rule, get the highest spec model you can afford in the class that you choose. They have a longer life, are less frustrating and easier to sell in the used market.

GS

[Mike4]

Without you specifying what you want to use it for, this is an impossible question to answer.

For a ranging shot, I LURVE my MacBook 12" for it's spectacular thin-ness, lightness and portability. I dunno the spec but it does everything I need with aplomb and cost only £1260-ish. (Website design, form and document design, email, browsing the net, posting rubbish on here...)

[Lanark]

For me it would be the iMac just because you can replace the rubbish Apple keyboards with something better.

Also desktop machines tend to last at least a couple of years longer than a laptop.

The latest iMacs now have the hard drive soldered to the motherboard so they are non-replaceable. I'm assuming this is their response to the right to repair movement "we'll just make them so that NOBODY can repair them."

I just wish Apple would sell the same hardware they had 10 years ago - even with the same old processors, larger cases etc, the basic build quality was all streets ahead of what they offer now.

[Howard]

Out of interest, what can an Apple desktop computer do that my second hand £140 HP desktop can't do?

It has an SSD, so it is lightning quick. Boots up in less than 30 seconds, including my typing a password. My large HD monitor is a Samsung and, from memory cost just over £100.

Every couple of months Windows 10 does take 3 or 4 minutes to update but is otherwise very slick.

And with Chrome, I can see all my files on my phone, and chromebook which also share all my non-important passwords.

I genuinely wonder why anyone would pay over £2,000 for a computer?

regards

Howard

PS I should admit that I do have an elderly iPad, but it is painfully slow and was handicapped by Apple upgrades. Good for Facetime but I don't use it for anything else.

[Mike4]

For me it would be the iMac just because you can replace the rubbish Apple keyboards with something better.

Also desktop machines tend to last at least a couple of years longer than a laptop.

The latest iMacs now have the hard drive soldered to the motherboard so they are non-replaceable. I'm assuming this is their response to the right to repair movement "we'll just make them so that NOBODY can repair them."

I just wish Apple would sell the same hardware they had 10 years ago - even with the same old processors, larger cases etc, the basic build quality was all streets ahead of what they offer now.

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

As a techy person best you don't buy them, given your views. As a retail business user, mine are all hard to fault. They do what I want them to do with no drama, no breakdowns, everything just works fine. UNLIKE the three Windows machines I dumped for frustrating unreliability.

[Redmires]

The latest iMacs now have the hard drive soldered to the motherboard so they are non-replaceable.

Didn't know that. That's quite shocking, but that's Apple for you.
Have you considered a Raspberry Pi running Linux*




* That's a joke (as most extended threads on here seem to suggest a Linux solution at some point)

[servodude]

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

They've had their ups and downs over the years:
- sticky butterfly springs
- eating batteries
- turning brown

But they're not that bad if you want a pretty laptop keyboard for your computer

They do have a short and quite spongy throw which can cause some people problems with prolonged use
- so if you spend a decent about of time typing it's worth trying something where you don't have to bottom out

on the original post: if you're going for an iMAC get at least 16GB RAM

- sd

[Mike4]

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

They've had their ups and downs over the years:
- sticky butterfly springs
- eating batteries
- turning brown

But they're not that bad if you want a pretty laptop keyboard for your computer

They do have a short and quite spongy throw which can cause some people problems with prolonged use
- so if you spend a decent about of time typing it's worth trying something where you don't have to bottom out

on the original post: if you're going for an iMAC get at least 16GB RAM

- sd

Actually I agree, the touch/feel of them is completely different from a conventional and if I were a professional touch typist touch-typing all day long, it would drive me demented from lack of key travel, harshness at the end of the (tiny) travel etc.

But as the OP was considering a laptop as an option, I assumed subconsciously he didn't want it for serious typing. For me a a 20wpm sight typist, An Apple keyboards is a lovely thing.

[servodude]

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

They've had their ups and downs over the years:
- sticky butterfly springs
- eating batteries
- turning brown

But they're not that bad if you want a pretty laptop keyboard for your computer

They do have a short and quite spongy throw which can cause some people problems with prolonged use
- so if you spend a decent about of time typing it's worth trying something where you don't have to bottom out

on the original post: if you're going for an iMAC get at least 16GB RAM

- sd

Actually I agree, the touch/feel of them is completely different from a conventional and if I were a professional touch typist touch-typing all day long, it would drive me demented from lack of key travel, harshness at the end of the (tiny) travel etc.

But as the OP was considering a laptop as an option, I assumed subconsciously he didn't want it for serious typing. For me a a 20wpm sight typist, An Apple keyboards is a lovely thing.

If it matches your handbag who are we to judge?

It's not just Apple by the way: my Surface Book suffers similarly (so I've got a 10 keyless with red mx switches that goes in it's bag if I need to be using it on-site for a job for any length of time)

-sd

[Mike4]

If it matches your handbag who are we to judge?

-sd

I'm mortally offended, you PROMISED never to mention the handbag....

[Lanark]

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

The key travel is non existent, they are hard to touch type on and seem prone to bounce that causes double characters.

[scrumpyjack]

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

The key travel is non existent, they are hard to touch type on and seem prone to bounce that causes double characters.

But at least you have the satisfaction of having paid 4 times as much as for the equivalent MS Windows PC keyboard

[xeny]

The key travel is non existent, they are hard to touch type on and seem prone to bounce that causes double characters.

The latest revision has gone back to having at least some travel, and reliability appears to be better.

[Lanark]

In what way are the keyboards rubbish? All three of mine work flawlessly.

The key travel is non existent, they are hard to touch type on and seem prone to bounce that causes double characters.

But at least you have the satisfaction of having paid 4 times as much as for the equivalent MS Windows PC keyboard

For an iMac the keyboard is a small part of the overall price and having a pristine unused keyboard will make it easier to sell when I eventually upgrade.

[GoSeigen]

Out of interest, what can an Apple desktop computer do that my second hand £140 HP desktop can't do?

Run Mac OS.

Just work with minimal fiddling.

Feel wonderful to look at and use.

GS

[GoSeigen]

The latest iMacs now have the hard drive soldered to the motherboard so they are non-replaceable.

Didn't know that. That's quite shocking, but that's Apple for you.

The iMac range is supposed to present the computer more as an appliance. In that light it's not really inconsistent is it? If you don't want an appliance at appliance pricing then pay more for a maintainable model, like the Pros. If you do buy the appliance, there are external storage options.

GS

[servodude]

The latest iMacs now have the hard drive soldered to the motherboard so they are non-replaceable.

Didn't know that. That's quite shocking, but that's Apple for you.

The iMac range is supposed to present the computer more as an appliance. In that light it's not really inconsistent is it? If you don't want an appliance at appliance pricing then pay more for a maintainable model, like the Pros. If you do buy the appliance, there are external storage options.

GS

It's perfectly consistent - but it is also binding the entire machine, all the hardware and invested energy to the weakest link, to the most likely point of failure.
It's built-in obsolescence which is rightly being put under scrutiny these days

-sd

[GoSeigen]

Didn't know that. That's quite shocking, but that's Apple for you.

The iMac range is supposed to present the computer more as an appliance. In that light it's not really inconsistent is it? If you don't want an appliance at appliance pricing then pay more for a maintainable model, like the Pros. If you do buy the appliance, there are external storage options.

GS

It's perfectly consistent - but it is also binding the entire machine, all the hardware and invested energy to the weakest link, to the most likely point of failure.
It's built-in obsolescence which is rightly being put under scrutiny these days

-sd

Hold up! Is the original claim even true? I can't find any evidence of soldered hard drives in iMacs, only SSDs. Please can someone provide a link about the hard drives. I agree, for maintenance it's not so great to have an HD soldered in, but HD failure doesn't make the entire iMac useless, just requires use of an external drive.... which is annoying but not a huge sacrifice on a non-portable machine. But as I said, is it even true???

Thx.

GS

[Breelander]

Hold up! Is the original claim even true?

Apparently yes. Apple has some history on this....

The trend toward soldering expanded beyond memory in 2015 when Apple attached the solid-state drive directly into the board of its newly refreshed MacBook line and again in 2016 with certain MacBook Pro models....

...So how can you find out which DIY or external upgrades are compatible with your particular Mac model? The easiest way is to use OWC’s proprietary My Upgrades tool.

OWC created the My Upgrades process to help users quickly and painlessly find the right upgrades for their specific Macs. With My Upgrades, users will see only the hardware and software results that are compatible with their machine...

https://blog.macsales.com/44610-mac-101 ... omponents/

According to that tool, iMac model up to and including the iMac 19,2 from early 2019 can have their internal storage upgraded.
https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/ima ... 19-3.2-ghz

The current iMac 20,1 from mid 2020 has no option to upgrade the internal drive, implying that it is indeed soldered in place.
https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/ima ... 20-3.6-ghz

Oh, and there's no internal storage upgrade option for the MacBook Pro either.
https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/mac ... ts-1.7-ghz