This off-the-hip list I wrote out for a coworker to use when selecting which Apple product to buy. I thought maybe other people might find it useful.

Mac Mini

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Pros – Inexpensive, quite lightweight, easy to move from place to place.

Cons – No iSight Camera, no video screen with device, must bring your own.

iMac

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Pros – Very nice screen, luggable from place to place depending on the size, even the largest isn’t too heavy. Has iSight camera. The 27″ model could also pinch hit as a TV or movie screen. The 27″ model can easily have it’s RAM upgraded, while the 21″ cannot.

Cons – Expensive. Luggable is a double-edged sword, some people don’t mind, some do.

MacBook

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Pros – Very mobile. Has iSight Camera. A good mix that allows you to attach to bigger screens if you want with an adapter.

Cons – Expensive. Upgrading RAM is a real pain and really can’t be done. Small screen size, 13″ can be an issue.

iPad

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Pros – Exceptionally mobile. Has iSight Cameras in front and back. You can send the video output to an Apple TV to play out on a bigger video device. The software is totally vetted by Apple and the device is extremely safe. Cannot suffer from viruses or even any malware.

Cons – It’s a tablet, so you don’t have a physical keyboard and no mouse at all. You could attach a keyboard over Bluetooth but it can become unwieldy quickly. The limits form the App Store could eventually be stifling for some uses as you can’t download apps from any place but Apple. There is also no upgrading of the device hardware. What you buy you’ll always have.