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NavySEAL6

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 13, 2006
613
79
I noticed a lot of people on this forum have two macs, I was wondering how do you justify them and how do you use them?
 

1madman1

macrumors 6502
Oct 23, 2013
456
320
Richmond, BC, Canada
I could never have just a single computer - I don't trust them enough in terms of reliability, you never know when an update may go wrong or a component may fry.

For the most part I've had three Macs for the last 10 years or so. Generally a desktop for media storage and situations that need CPU power, a small and light portable to carry around, and a larger more powerful portable that serves as a bedroom/living room PC.

These days I just have two 15" Macbook Pros. One lives in the bedroom as a spare and media server, the other does everything else. I may get another desktop for the den at some point.
 

sonicrobby

macrumors 68020
Apr 24, 2013
2,482
526
New Orleans
I use my rMBP as my main device. I use it to store and organize my pictures in iPhoto, keep my PDFs in iBooks for easy ios sync, music in iTunes for the same purpose, playing some steam games, and running parallels for some CAD modeling.

I also have a Mac mini hooked up to my tv and use this one as a media storage device. Contains all my videos, TV shows, and movies, and is essentially my trash storage (keeping files I don't want to delete, but also don't want to keep on my main Mac).

Honestly, I hate the fact that I have 2 macs. I have to remember what is on which Mac to find it. I'd like to put my pics on my mini as well, but they wouldn't be synced with any updates/new pics I'd add to my rMBP.

I've started just buying all of my movies through iTunes so that I can always access them and never have to worry about storage space. Depending on the specs on the new MacBook air, or even the new rmbps later this year, I may be replacing both computers with just the one.
 

b0fh666

macrumors 6502a
Oct 12, 2012
954
785
south
i have an odd workflow. I use two macbook pros (9.1 and 9.2) and use them only one at a time.

when WFH, I'm on the 15-inch, and when traveling or motorbiking to the office or customer's sites I switch to the 13-inch.

to do this I rsync a bunch of work folders to an external drive, then rsync back to the other computer.

that also works as a backup system :D
 

Duff-Man

Contributor
Dec 26, 2002
2,984
17
Albuquerque, NM
Duff-Man says...my use of two Macs is pretty old-school - the Mac Pro is the workhorse...audio and video chores etc, the Macbook Pro is for when I'm on the road or just in the other room and want to do some basic stuff. Some of the a/v software is also on the MBPro so if I want to work on a file while on the road I can usually do what I want to...not complicated really....oh yeah!
 

SusanK

macrumors 68000
Oct 9, 2012
1,676
2,655
I love them both!

I have two for the same reason there is a spare tire in my trunk.
 

firedept

macrumors 603
Jul 8, 2011
6,277
1,130
Somewhere!
I have three macs. 2 iMacs and a Macbook Pro. First iMac is for family and simple little jobs. Plus to fall back on in case my other iMac fails. My second iMac is my workhorse. I use it for all my work and no one else touches it. My MacBook is for travel and if I need to go to a clients place of business.
 

r0k

macrumors 68040
Mar 3, 2008
3,611
75
Detroit
I have 3 Macs. My MBP is my main machine but it's in the basement office and I don't get down there as often as I'd like. I have a Mac mini on the main floor to keep me from having to walk down the stairs and it's my most often used computer. I have my old 2008 white Macbook in the upstairs office for those times when I need a computer and not just an iPad and I don't want to leave the bedroom area. The white Macbook was going to waste down in the basement on a shelf so I decided to resurrect it since it still works as well as it did the day I bought it and I'm too nostalgic to part with it.

Then there's my iPad mini. That's my main "road" computer. I take it with me to classes. I have most of my textbooks on the thing and often use it to take notes either in classes or in meetings. I have a nice Logitech keyboard foleo cover on it and I often type longer documents directly on the iPad mini.

So in order of frequent usage: My iPad mini (more than once a day), my Mac mini (daily), my Macbook Pro (weekly) and my white Macbook (monthly). Not all files are replicated on all devices but I use iCloud and Dropbox to keep things in sync between machines. I have a couple of network drives for music and movies and so forth. I also subscribe to iTunes match so my music follows me on all my Macs and iThings.
 

BlakeBrattina

macrumors 6502a
May 10, 2011
542
61
Bay City, MI
I am now using the RiMac as the main workload handler. Between photos and GoPro video editing, etc and being hooked up to my 3TB external, I can have everything I need either streamed or moved over from it.

I bring my Air with me to work daily, as our machines are devastatingly slow and I enjoy working with this iOS. I also bring my Air 2 with me to work as well hooked into a keyboard in case I run out for meetings or head to a coffee shop and can take care of work from there.

Sounds funny, but I would love to have the TV in my basement hooked into an older Mac Mini as a storage device for movies, etc that I may or may not be able to find on Netflix (overboard, I know.)
 

Fishrrman

macrumors Penryn
Feb 20, 2009
28,198
12,361
I have three Macs. Each serves its own purpose.

#1 - my "main Mac" is a late-2012 Mac Mini which is powered by an SSD sitting in a USB3/SATA docking station. On it, I do anything "of importance" -- personal records, forum viewing (as in right now), general browsing, etc.

#2 - my "music Mac" is a 2007 white Intel iMac that still runs well despite its age. I use it for music recording and production, CD creation, etc.

#3 - my 2010 MacBookPro. This is my "travel and reading" Mac. Nothing of great importance on it, but it comes in handy when off on a road trip. I also use it as my "personal reading tool" these days. I'll keep books I'm reading on it, generally in pdf format, which I prefer to any other. In fact, when I find a book I want to read, I will often import it into Pages, RE-EDIT the entire book using the typeface of my choice, and then save it as a new pdf. Makes it easier on these old eyes to read.
 

technosix

macrumors 6502a
Jan 13, 2015
929
13
West Coast USA
MacBook Air & Pro.

Kept in sync at all times I carry the one that meets the needs of my dynamic workflow depending on which one is best suited for that day's work. The variety and having a choice is fun. Plus if one goes down I'm not rushed to fix it.
 

Command

macrumors regular
Jan 23, 2015
183
79
USA
27" iMac is my main machine. 21.5 does tools and testing, etc. It gets used the most diversely, I would say. Mini is a machine that my wife uses at times and I can use it as a service machine remotely (it's the only one not on my desk) and I can do this even while she's using it. MacBookPro is just portable, really. I can access any one from any other, file and screenshare setup, of course and I have my iPhoto and iTunes libraries on an external which can be accessed by any as well. The 27 iMac runs Plex media server, has all the drives connected to it (7) so the rest backup via Time Machine to them accordingly.
If I had to pick one that gets the least usage, it would be my MacBookPro. But I would never see myself being without it, nonetheless.
27, 21.5 and MacBookPro all side by side and using a single keyboard & mouse using Teleport
 

redheeler

macrumors G3
Oct 17, 2014
8,419
8,838
Colorado, USA
Two Macs? I have over 20 :p

The main ones I use are the ones in my signature. The Retina iMac is my main Mac, followed by the rMBP when I don't have access to the iMac or need a portable machine. The Mac mini mostly does server duties along with general purpose stuff like playing music.
 

rei101

macrumors 6502a
Dec 24, 2011
976
1
I have 4 Macs

A 2010 iMac as my main computer.
A 2008 Mac pro as a server basically, is connected via ethernet to the iMac and I use it like that and for extra rendering.
A 12" 2004 Powerbook that still working but I never use it, it is a legacy.
A 17" 2008 Mac Book Pro that I use in bed.

Basically I have been buying them and keeping them. Sometimes I take the Mac Pro to my new jobs and leave it there.
 
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