I've got a Mid 2010 base model (3.06GHz i3) 21.5" iMac. It serves me well and I'm happy with it, but somebody stole my old MacBook, and I'd like to have that mobility back.
Somebody with a 2011 13" (1.7GHZ i5 + 128GB SSD) Macbook Air has offered to trade me their Air for my iMac + $250.
I figure they lose value at 10-15% per year, so if mine was $1200 new it's now worth roughly $900±$50. If his was $1300 new, it should be worth $1150±50.
The math there adds up to an equal trade. The only thing I'm debating on is the fact that I can get a brand new 13" Air for about $1100 or a pro for like $1050 if I get the base model.
I'm teaching myself to program for iOS, and eventually I'll have games that might be CPU/GPU intensive enough to justify a high performance machine, but my real concern for specs beyond 'standard daily usage' is that I also like to play PC games.
I keep windows on my iMac for gaming, and right now the most demanding games I play are maybe Dead Space 2, Fallout: NV, Just Cause 2, and Mass Effect 2. (I haven't bought any new games since last summer) I'd like to play Skyrim, Saints Row 3, Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, and I'm sure other games later that have yet to make it to my wishlist.
I know that gaming is off the table for the most part if I trade for the MacBook Air, but it would mean mobility now, and I figure I can still sell it a year or two down the road for around $800.
What are your thoughts on this trade: is one side or the other getting a significantly better deal? Should I try to sell my iMac on my own and spend the same $300 on a 2012 model when they come out this summer? If I want to play games & be mobile should I suck it up and go for a Pro?
I'm not in a huge hurry to part with my iMac, but obviously the sooner it's gone the more money it'll be worth to me.
Somebody with a 2011 13" (1.7GHZ i5 + 128GB SSD) Macbook Air has offered to trade me their Air for my iMac + $250.
I figure they lose value at 10-15% per year, so if mine was $1200 new it's now worth roughly $900±$50. If his was $1300 new, it should be worth $1150±50.
The math there adds up to an equal trade. The only thing I'm debating on is the fact that I can get a brand new 13" Air for about $1100 or a pro for like $1050 if I get the base model.
I'm teaching myself to program for iOS, and eventually I'll have games that might be CPU/GPU intensive enough to justify a high performance machine, but my real concern for specs beyond 'standard daily usage' is that I also like to play PC games.
I keep windows on my iMac for gaming, and right now the most demanding games I play are maybe Dead Space 2, Fallout: NV, Just Cause 2, and Mass Effect 2. (I haven't bought any new games since last summer) I'd like to play Skyrim, Saints Row 3, Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, and I'm sure other games later that have yet to make it to my wishlist.
I know that gaming is off the table for the most part if I trade for the MacBook Air, but it would mean mobility now, and I figure I can still sell it a year or two down the road for around $800.
What are your thoughts on this trade: is one side or the other getting a significantly better deal? Should I try to sell my iMac on my own and spend the same $300 on a 2012 model when they come out this summer? If I want to play games & be mobile should I suck it up and go for a Pro?
I'm not in a huge hurry to part with my iMac, but obviously the sooner it's gone the more money it'll be worth to me.