What should I get for media production class - imac or retina macbook pro?

[thomasliveshere]

Okay so here goes.
I'm a uni student studying media production and we use only imacs and use alot of final cut pro for video editing.
At the moment I dont own an apple machine (just an ipad and iPhone) and I've found I really need something to run final cut pro so I can do my assesments at home.
Im going to configure the specs on whatever machine I get (rmbp or imac) and they end up being close to the same price...when I say close i mean a few hundred dollars difference.
My issue is...should I invest in a 27inch retina imac and get a macbook air later on for uni (im finding the ipad to be slightly annoying to take notes on at uni now) or should I get a 15 inch rmbp and use final cut pro on that and also take it to uni for notes etc.
Im willing to spend up to 4-5k (australian dollars) so I want to make the right choice.
The rmbp portability appeals to me but is it enough to edit videos on etc?
Does anyone own a macbook pro AND an imac...or is that just silly?
Im relatively new to the apple world and I want to make the best choice and take the right step in furthering my apple collection.
I also want the machine to last a while as it will be my main computer and I dont want to upgrade after spending that much money for a while.

 

[Bigeric23]

Yes, I have an iMac and a MacBook Pro. . . . If you want one machine that has it all (beautiful display, performance, portability, etc.), you should consider the 15-inch MacBook Pro.

 

[HankAZ]

Okay so here goes.
I'm a uni student studying media production and we use only imacs and use alot of final cut pro for video editing.
At the moment I dont own an apple machine (just an ipad and iPhone) and I've found I really need something to run final cut pro so I can do my assesments at home.
Im going to configure the specs on whatever machine I get (rmbp or imac) and they end up being close to the same price...when I say close i mean a few hundred dollars difference.
My issue is...should I invest in a 27inch retina imac and get a macbook air later on for uni (im finding the ipad to be slightly annoying to take notes on at uni now) or should I get a 15 inch rmbp and use final cut pro on that and also take it to uni for notes etc.
Im willing to spend up to 4-5k (australian dollars) so I want to make the right choice.
The rmbp portability appeals to me but is it enough to edit videos on etc?
Does anyone own a macbook pro AND an imac...or is that just silly?
Im relatively new to the apple world and I want to make the best choice and take the right step in furthering my apple collection.
I also want the machine to last a while as it will be my main computer and I dont want to upgrade after spending that much money for a while.

The choice boils down to very large screen ("work area") or portability. Also, the rMBP can get heavy to carry around all day at school. You will find that a 2-3 pound difference will be obvious after a couple of days.

We own both in our home - but for different uses. I have an original model rMBP for my personal computing. The wife has a 21" iMac from a year or two back. Neither of us runs FCP.

Bought today, both options should be quite serviceable for the next 3-4 years at a minimum.