Poll: Literally can't decide!

What should Maccy use his credit card for?


  • Total voters
    91
  • Poll closed .
I got the MBP first and waited a year to get the screen. You should be able to use your existing iMac's screen with the MBP in the meantime.

Unfortunately, the OPs 24" iMac doesn't do target display mode :(

I'd go with MBP for all round stuff.
 
Go 15" MBP, it is an amazing machine. There is no way you will be disappointed sat on your sofa with that screen, battery and power.
 
I've gone through all the suggestions above.
A few years ago I ran a 15" MCP with external screen which was great, although I really couldn't be bothered to unhook everything when I wanted to work remotely, so it sat there like a sad caged animal for years. When I eventually took it out for a walk the battery lasted all of five minutes :(

I then purchased a Retina 15" MBP which was great, fast and sexy but for my needs just a bit too physically large to carry around unnoticed in my backpack.

I settled on my current solution of the 27" iMac with 13" Air which works amazingly well for me. I get the speed and physical screen size of the iMac, and my Air gets carted around with very little weight or size penalty. It's the entry level model and handles all my mobile needs perfectly.

For me, screen size (27") trumps resolution every single time (and let's not forget the resolution of the iMac is pretty tasty).
 
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Save some money by getting the 13" rMBP and a 27" monitor.

Depends if he needs quadcore CPU or not.

I personally would recommend getting the 15" and using your current iMac as a display if possible. If not pick up a decent monitor when you can, either 1080p 24" or 1440p 27". You could also try sell your iMac to offset some of the costs.
 
Voted for MBP mate. Firm believer in OSX for laptop and Windows for desktop. I think apples trackpad in the MacBooks is a good enough reason alone now to ever use a windows laptop ever again.

Desktop wise though, I just find windows more pleasing to use. Probably because I use it day in day out in my job and use my personal macbook air for leisure.
 
21.5" for me, that's what I went for. Better bang for buck and unless you're going to use 27" it's unnecessary.
 
If you're going to have multiple documents open at once (ie. side by side) or you feel the current iMac is lacking, 27". Otherwise, 21.5" would be fine. Personally wouldn't go with a display smaller than 27" now, but that's just me.

Seeing as you are considering the i5 with the 27", why not go for the i5 with the 21.5"? The i7 may not be worth the premium in this case, and both will be significantly faster than the old machine.

As for the MBP, unless you need the portability, there is no point paying a premium for it.
 
one other thing to note, is that with buying the 15" retina with 27" monitor, you basically have a dual monitor setup

add on stand, and wireless keyboard/magic mouse and you have an awesome setup
 
Obviously lots of differing views in here.
I would highly recommend getting to an Apple store (or retailer) to get a feel for the various sizes and weights of the items on your shortlist. The difference between a 15" rMBP and 13" Air is pretty stark (I've had both and stuck with the Air for my portable fix).

If you use Photoshop then the bigger 27" screen is (in my opinion) hard to beat. If you're not going to regularly need a portable computer then I really wouldn't recommend using the rMBP as a desktop.

Regarding the dual screen set up mentioned by a few here, going from a 21" single screen to a 27" and 15" dual screen setup requires a fair bit more desk real estate - again, only you can determine if it's worth it. The resolution and size increase to a 27" is pretty impressive on its own!
 
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