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Acer One & iMac or Macbook/pro

U

uGOofBLUEm

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 10, 2007
13
0
I am getting pretty desperate to get a new laptop and I really can't wait too much longer. Right now I am weighing out my options and any input would be appreciated. The first scenario that I am considering is to purchase an Acer Aspire one to satisfy my portable computing needs, and later on pick up an imac. The other option would be to just get a macbook or macbook pro, either now or waiting a month or so. Other than being stuck with windows or linux, is there any other reason I should not consider the Aspire One? Thank you in advance for your advice!

Note: I do some video editing occasionally, but I would have no need to do it away from my home.
 
How heavy are your video editing duties? Will a 13.3-inch MacBook constitute as portable enough for you? If your video editing duties don't require Shake/Motion/AfterEffects and a 13.3-incher is small enough for you then a MacBook can do anything you wish. :)

If the MB is not portable enough for you and you don't have heavy editing needs then even the lowest-spec iMac + Aspire will be of better value than buying a top-spec MacBook.
 
Another thing to keep in mind is that the rumors of an October Mac notebook refresh are still around... at the very latest it'll happen before mid-January when Macworld rolls around, but I can understand if you can't wait that long.

Also, if you have a lot of data that you want to use/edit on both a desktop and portable, don't underestimate the time and effort involved in keeping both machines in sync. Also consider that if you add a PC into the mix, it limits what software you can use, or at least presents the problem of maintaining file consistency (e.g. Word<->OpenOffice). Having just one computer to maintain makes life a bit saner, at least for me :).
 
at this point my video editing is minimal compared to a few years ago, but I will likely get back into it with my new round of computers. My portable computing needs deal mostly with word processing, Internet, and workng with grade programs( I'm a teacher).

Thanks for all the advice so far, it's reitterating what I was thinking myself. I would much rather go with something ultra portable for the road, and something more powerful at home. Hopefully this will give me the best of both worlds. I dont foresee amy problems, other than the file dilemma, which shouldn't be a problem because I've been moving between 3 computers for the last year since mine died.
 
I'm weighing up the same options myself, look forward to further input.

Right now I'm leaning towards macbook pro, because I don't really need the ultra portability but I would like to be able to use it around the house, and having one machine seems easier.
 
I own an Aspire One myself (on it right now, in fact) and absolutely love it. I'm a long-time UNIX admin so I don't feel like I'm "stuck" with linux at all. In fact, I never had any desire to use Mac OS until the BSD-powered OS X came out. That is when I finally took a look and got hooked. ;)

I've owned two MacBook's...a first gen white one (1.83GHz CD, combo drive, 2GB ram, 120GB hdd) and more recently a current gen black one (2.4GHz C2D, superdrive, 4GB ram, 320GB hdd). I've also owned a MacBook Pro which I just recently passed on to my wife. I sold both MacBook's and am waiting to see what comes with the latest refreshes.

If I buy a new MacBook I will likely sell my Aspire One. This is simply because I know from past experience that if I own multiple laptops, I will use one almost exclusively and the others will collect dust. Although lately the Aspire One has been sitting on my nightstand bedside, so maybe I could simply relegate it to permanent middle-of-the-night web browsing. ;)
 
Thanks for the continued input. I am going to look at and possibly buy the Acer One today. Even if I decide to get a macbook/pro after the refresh I could easily turn this machine into a lab computer for my AP Physics class. At that price, I should be able to get a grant for a few more...so hopefully it works out well.
 
Actually, I would have gone with the MBP. :eek: The MBP and iMac are more or less redundant. An MBP plugged into an external LCD would give you nearly as much processing power as an iMac. The 5% power you lose with the iMac is gained back in terms of portability. :)
 
Actually, I had this question too. My Compaq laptop lcd bulb is about to go out. My sturdy IBM X31 has seen better days, and needs memory and a new hard drive. Should I just go cheap and get one of these?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293528

I already have a MacBook that I totally love. I just need a Windows machine for 1 or 2 programs and surfing. To purchase Vista Home for $100 and dual boot I think is a bit costly when you can get an entire machine for $349.

Has anyone got one of these Acers? How good are they?
 
Really? Then get it from another store. ;) It's either you get 2 hours of battery life, or 4.5-5 hours. Getting the 6-cell with the system will cost you another $50 (I think. I'm not American and don't know the prices), but if you were to buy it later as an accessory or something, it would cost far more.


EDIT: OK. :)
 
I would perssonally go for iMac 24" as it's a all in one laptop, I am using the new iMac in my office running Windows Vista, Linux (Ubuntu 8.04.1 64 bit) and Leopard. The iMac would be a smash hit, it quite powerful, and quite portable for a desktop machine.
 
I have an Acer aspire one and a macbook pro. I've also used iMac's a fair bit.

They are all very different beasts and no one can really tell you what would be best for your situation.

I know despite the acer being a superb machine I wouldn't want it as my only machine. For portability though it's just superb. You can even put OS X on them if you are brave enough.

Personally I don't like the imac's you are basically getting a macbook pro and a screen in one. The glossy screen is not something I could cope with all the time. That said for the same money as a macbook pro you could get the iMac and acer and have the best of both worlds.
 
Hi Guys,

Posting from my new Acer Aspire One. First impressions are positive so far. They keyboard and trackpad are going to take a little getting used to but I am adjusting well. I see no problem using this as my sole computer for a few months until I decide what to do about a machine with OS X.

With that being said, this was the right machine for me now. I couldn't justify paying 1200 for a macbook because I would use maybe 20% of its capabilities on the road. This machine will be great for surfing, emailing, and even video chatting with skype...that's really all I need my portable to do. I am going to hold off on purchasing a desktop, mostly because I'm trying to buy a house and every penny counts.

If anyone has any questions about this little guy, feel free to contact me. Its no Apple, but so far I'm happy with the purchase. I probably should have searched for the 6 cell version, but I am rarely ever away from power for 2+ hours.
 
How's the keyboard on that thing? Do you touch type quickly, and if so, can you blaze away on it?

Also: how about battery life?

Oh, and about how fast is it at booting up?
 
uGOofBLUEm said:
Hi Guys,

Posting from my new Acer Aspire One. First impressions are positive so far. They keyboard and trackpad are going to take a little getting used to but I am adjusting well. I see no problem using this as my sole computer for a few months until I decide what to do about a machine with OS X.

With that being said, this was the right machine for me now. I couldn't justify paying 1200 for a macbook because I would use maybe 20% of its capabilities on the road. This machine will be great for surfing, emailing, and even video chatting with skype...that's really all I need my portable to do. I am going to hold off on purchasing a desktop, mostly because I'm trying to buy a house and every penny counts.

If anyone has any questions about this little guy, feel free to contact me. Its no Apple, but so far I'm happy with the purchase. I probably should have searched for the 6 cell version, but I am rarely ever away from power for 2+ hours.
Click to expand...

Buying a house is definitely a bigger decision than a computer, you can buy a mac later next year maybe when Snow Leopard is out. Congrats on your purchase.
 
I use my Macbook for Final Cut Pro and Motion with no problem at all. It is portable and powerful enough for everything I need to do.

I would recommend a top-spec macbook.
 
So, two days into my purchase here are my initial findings. I am getting about 2:15 for battery life while doing some basic web surfing, word processing, etc. I see a bit of a decrease in the life when I am video chatting in Skype. Also, the performance seems to dip down a bit when running off battery power, I will have to check out the settings and tweak them a little bit. As for the keyboard, it is still slowing me down a little bit, but it really isn't that drastic. I also set up a little workstation where I can hook up an external keyboard/mouse/monitor and it is almost like having a full computer. the VGA output is actually giving me a good picture on my 22" westinghouse. I would say that the average startup time would be about 30-40 seconds...I haven't really sat here with a stop watch. Either way, it is not noticeably slow in any way yet. The trackpad is still a little wierd because the right and left click buttons are $350 I am pretty happy with the purchase. Now if it just had OS X I'd be all set!
 
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