Well, Apple, you've made my life difficult. When I upgrade my Mac next time will I go with an iMac or a MacBook Pro? I'll probably stick with the former as my 27-inch iMac is my favorite computer ever. On the other hand, one model in particular of the MacBook Pro tempts me.


That's the 2.2GHZ quad-core 15-incher. Sandy Bridge processors? Check. Thunderbolt technology? Sweet. Integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384MB of DDR3SDRAM shared with the main memory and the ability to switch between these integrated graphics chips and the more powerful discrete graphics processors from AMD? Lovely. A new FaceTime HD camera with 720p resolution? Nice.

If I ordered the MacBook Pro, I'd go for the standard model, though I'd substitute a 500GB 7200 RPM drive for the 7250GB 5400 RMP drive (you can do that at no extra charge).

On the other hand, I'm sure Apple will upgrade the iMac soon -- and I'll certainly get more bang for my buck. Way more hard disk space. Probably a faster processor. It will no doubt sport the upgraded, built-in camera. And it would cost less, as I'd have to add an Apple Cinema Display (another thousand smackers) if I went with the laptop. And I'd need an external drive for more storage space.

Of course, with the MacBook Pro and Apple Cinema Display, I'd no longer need two Macs (a desktop and a laptop). I'd just need one.

So what will I do? Think I'll wait and see what happens when Apple introduces a new iMac and make my decision then.

What about you?

-- Dennis Sellers