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16" MacBook Pro vs. 27" iMac

Hi all,


I am currently using a Mid-2012 15" MacBook Pro (running High Sierra) and I'm starting to look into upgrading to either the 16" MacBook Pro or the 27" iMac. I would purchase the lower end model of either one. I am a military spouse so I am able to order through the tax-free exchange which would save me a little bit of money, and even more if I wait until they are running a sale or have a coupon.


I'm looking for some pros/cons to these two options and suggestions on which one to go with.


Also, some questions and background info:


  • Can either of these options be customized down the road to add more memory, swap the hard drive, etc.? I replaced both on my current MacBook which gave me several more years of use out of it.


  • Will the iMac get an update soon? If so I would likely wait if that is the route I choose to go, as my MacBook is still running OK for now.


I mostly use MS Office and Adobe Lightroom, and realize I will unfortunately have to switch from the desktop versions I currently have of these programs to the subscription based versions. My MacBook gets loud and sometimes warm when using Lightroom, and also slows everything else down a bit.


I should add that the past 4 years I have been a stay-at-home Mom and have used my Macbook completely from home. I won't be going back to work for at least another 1.5 years or so. I use my MacBook daily though and do a lot of photo editing.


If I get the 16" MacBook, I would sell my current one, but if I get the iMac, I would keep my MacBook so I still have the portability option if/when needed. I also have a 5th Generation 32GB iPad, but really only use it for streaming shows and movies.


Thank you in advance for your input and suggestions!

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jan 22, 2022 2:39 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 22, 2022 3:00 PM

Bigger will get you better cooling and better thermals for processor-intensive work, and with a much bigger display.


Current iMac 27” is the outgoing Intel processor.


We don’t know what or when or if the iMac 27” be replaced. Or with what. Apple started the Apple silicon transition with the lower-end models and M1, then with the mid-range with M1 Pro and M1 Max, and what’s now left of the product line to transition to Apple silicon are the higher-end models.


Apple predicted a two-year transition from Intel to Apple silicon, starting back in 2020.


Look carefully at your actual use of portability, as a number of folks I’ve worked here with really wanted portability, and very rarely or never used it. Which is a bad trade-off. I’ve had a few go for iMac and iPad, and the aggregate cost was below the mid-upper MacBook Pro they were looking at.


Current iMac 27” Intel can have memory upgraded. We don’t know about future models.


No current M1, M1 Pro, or M1 Max model can have its in-built memory or built-in storage upgraded. What it ships with is what it has.


External connectivity is quite good on the most recent MacBook Pro and iMac 24” models, with Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, and with USB 4.0.


Microsoft sells Office 2021, as well as Office 365 subscriptions. LibreOffice and alternatives are also available, and Apple iWork Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can read and write many Microsoft Office documents.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 22, 2022 3:00 PM in response to jojocino

Bigger will get you better cooling and better thermals for processor-intensive work, and with a much bigger display.


Current iMac 27” is the outgoing Intel processor.


We don’t know what or when or if the iMac 27” be replaced. Or with what. Apple started the Apple silicon transition with the lower-end models and M1, then with the mid-range with M1 Pro and M1 Max, and what’s now left of the product line to transition to Apple silicon are the higher-end models.


Apple predicted a two-year transition from Intel to Apple silicon, starting back in 2020.


Look carefully at your actual use of portability, as a number of folks I’ve worked here with really wanted portability, and very rarely or never used it. Which is a bad trade-off. I’ve had a few go for iMac and iPad, and the aggregate cost was below the mid-upper MacBook Pro they were looking at.


Current iMac 27” Intel can have memory upgraded. We don’t know about future models.


No current M1, M1 Pro, or M1 Max model can have its in-built memory or built-in storage upgraded. What it ships with is what it has.


External connectivity is quite good on the most recent MacBook Pro and iMac 24” models, with Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, and with USB 4.0.


Microsoft sells Office 2021, as well as Office 365 subscriptions. LibreOffice and alternatives are also available, and Apple iWork Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can read and write many Microsoft Office documents.

Jan 22, 2022 3:25 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thank you! I was wondering about the 24" iMacs and if memory or storage could be upgraded on those, so thank you for clarifying that they cannot be.


I also used to really want portability. This is my second MacBook in 14 years, and I never took either one many places, though I occasionally like to use it in different areas around the house, so I started looking into the iMac and think it is probably the better option for me.


I have a server which stores the vast majority of my photos and documents, and will probably move everything over to it when I upgrade, so the storage amount that it is purchased with is not as important to me.


And, thank you for mentioning that Office 2021 is an option. I missed that on their website since the Office 365 info is more prevalent. I am currently using Office 2019, so could that be transferred to a new mac?


Can you explain a little about the Intel processor vs. the newer ones?

Jan 22, 2022 3:50 PM in response to jojocino

Intel x86-64 is a common processor architecture and used for desktops, laptops, and servers.


x86-64 is the current version of what was the architectural foundation of Microsoft Windows.


In recent years, x86-64 performance tends to require lots of power, which means lots of heat, and lots of battery consumption. x86-64 is also not particularly customizable for specific hardware applications and software requirements, though Intel has recently announced plans to make that integration and customization easier for future customers.


Apple silicon is an Arm AArch64 architecture design, and that is the same architectural family as what is used in iPad, iPhone, and a huge number of other devices.


Apple has gotten M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max to be performance-competitive with comparable x86-64 processors, and that (unusually) also with much lower power consumption, longer battery life, and lower cooling requirements than with x86-64. With M1, M1 Pro, and M1 Max, Apple has used what’s called a system-on-a-chip design, bringing the main processor cores, the statistical processors used to accelerate machine learning tasks, graphics processing, main storage, and memory all onto the same package. This is… dense. And it’s custom built to do what Apple wants and needs.


Per Apple: Family of Mac SoCs to Deliver Powerful New Features and Best-in-Class Performance

For over a decade, Apple’s world-class silicon design team has been building and refining Apple SoCs. The result is a scalable architecture custom designed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch that leads the industry in unique features and performance per watt, and makes each of them best in class. Building upon this architecture, Apple is designing a family of SoCs for the Mac. This will give the Mac industry-leading performance per watt and higher performance GPUs — enabling app developers to write even more powerful pro apps and high-end games. And access to technologies such as the Neural Engine will make the Mac an amazing platform for developers to use machine learning. This will also create a common architecture across all Apple products, making it far easier for developers to write and optimize software for the entire Apple ecosystem.


ps: Biggest downside here for some few people that want or need it is no supported version of Microsoft Windows is available for purchase for Apple silicon, though there’s an unsupported beta around.


Jan 22, 2022 5:33 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thank you. I am just wondering if it is worth it to wait to see if an updated 27" iMac comes out in a few months, or if I see a good deal on the current one if I should just get that instead. It will undoubtedly be a huge upgrade from my 10-year-old MacBook either way, but I hope whatever I replace it with can last many years like my MacBook has.

Jan 22, 2022 5:56 PM in response to jojocino

jojocino wrote:

Thank you. I am just wondering if it is worth it to wait to see if an updated 27" iMac comes out in a few months, or if I see a good deal on the current one if I should just get that instead. It will undoubtedly be a huge upgrade from my 10-year-old MacBook either way, but I hope whatever I replace it with can last many years like my MacBook has.


I can’t answer that one for you.


I do expect there to be a few years of transition to Apple silicon, but—if the previous 2005-era PPC to Intel architecture transition provides any guidance—app support for Intel processors will start to fade a few years after the product line transition completes.


The existing iMac 24” M1 model will be a sizable upgrade from what you have, too. (But go for 16 GB if you can at all swing that, and for as much storage as you can afford. The absolute bottom-end Mac model isn’t usually the best choice for longevity of use.)

16" MacBook Pro vs. 27" iMac

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