Ditched MacBook Pro for the past couple of months. Tried out all of Mac lines, decided to go back (or come back) to MacBook Pro.
Had been a MacBook Pro 15 inch user since PowerBook days to current Unibody design. I realize now that once you go MBP, you can't really go to anything else.
1) MacBook Air. Thought it would be good enough to replace MacBook Pro about now. And to a certain extent, it was true. It's no longer sluggish. SSD makes a big difference and processing power was as good as MBPs from previous years. But couldn't overcome integrated graphics card and lack of storage. I connect Cinema Display and MacBook Air couldn't really handle it. I knew it wouldn't be quite the desktop replacement that MBPs can be, but the fan inside would kick in too frequently and heavy applications would obviously drag it down. Also going from 500GB to 256GB was no fun. SSD is definitely better than HDD, but once I hit that 200GB storage capacity, rest of unused 50GB made me feel anxious. Can't complain though, since I expected all of it. Liked the design and portability of MacBook Airs, but it's definitely not for power users. I would say for most of everyday and casual users, MacBook Airs the way to go now. It's well built and might be "better" than MBPs until the it gets an update sometime soon. Had to return it.
2) iMac. Best choice if you do not need a notebook. Powerful and beautiful. Just a single monitor with a single cord, wireless keyboard and mouse. But as the dude at Apple Store said (which I thought was funny enough that I want to share with you), when a Honda driver (notebook) is given the keys to a Toyota Car (desktop), it's difficult to adjust. True. I carry iPads for my mobility needs now, but not being able to move iMac was no fun. My friend bought it from me minus taxes to replace his four year old PC. (I should get a prize for switching a PC user to a Mac. Probably not, but...)
3) Mac mini. Connected to Cinema Display and my existing keyboard and mouse. Same deal with the iMac. I'm a big fan of Mac minis. It can be an entry level desktop, much better than any other tower desktops. The processor in it and its compact size fits anywhere and for any needs. But it isn't a power machine. Expecting it is wrong. It better fits as a home theater computer, which is where it's going. Connected it to HDTV, works great.
Stick with the MacBook Pro. At least until the new design comes out. Thinner and no optical and no other ports (ethernet, firewire) shouldn't be too big of a deal, since all things are moving digital and wireless anyway.
Had been a MacBook Pro 15 inch user since PowerBook days to current Unibody design. I realize now that once you go MBP, you can't really go to anything else.
1) MacBook Air. Thought it would be good enough to replace MacBook Pro about now. And to a certain extent, it was true. It's no longer sluggish. SSD makes a big difference and processing power was as good as MBPs from previous years. But couldn't overcome integrated graphics card and lack of storage. I connect Cinema Display and MacBook Air couldn't really handle it. I knew it wouldn't be quite the desktop replacement that MBPs can be, but the fan inside would kick in too frequently and heavy applications would obviously drag it down. Also going from 500GB to 256GB was no fun. SSD is definitely better than HDD, but once I hit that 200GB storage capacity, rest of unused 50GB made me feel anxious. Can't complain though, since I expected all of it. Liked the design and portability of MacBook Airs, but it's definitely not for power users. I would say for most of everyday and casual users, MacBook Airs the way to go now. It's well built and might be "better" than MBPs until the it gets an update sometime soon. Had to return it.
2) iMac. Best choice if you do not need a notebook. Powerful and beautiful. Just a single monitor with a single cord, wireless keyboard and mouse. But as the dude at Apple Store said (which I thought was funny enough that I want to share with you), when a Honda driver (notebook) is given the keys to a Toyota Car (desktop), it's difficult to adjust. True. I carry iPads for my mobility needs now, but not being able to move iMac was no fun. My friend bought it from me minus taxes to replace his four year old PC. (I should get a prize for switching a PC user to a Mac. Probably not, but...)
3) Mac mini. Connected to Cinema Display and my existing keyboard and mouse. Same deal with the iMac. I'm a big fan of Mac minis. It can be an entry level desktop, much better than any other tower desktops. The processor in it and its compact size fits anywhere and for any needs. But it isn't a power machine. Expecting it is wrong. It better fits as a home theater computer, which is where it's going. Connected it to HDTV, works great.
Stick with the MacBook Pro. At least until the new design comes out. Thinner and no optical and no other ports (ethernet, firewire) shouldn't be too big of a deal, since all things are moving digital and wireless anyway.
