Grad School Setup: iPad + MacMini. What do you think?

[feflower]

Hello,

I have a macbook pro 13" and I'm getting a little tired of carrying it around.
I've contemplated getting a macbook air, but now considering another idea.

I'm a grad student in humanities and I have been considering an iPad + BT Keyboard as my 'mobile' unit when I go to lectures, library, etc.

I would then get a macmini as my "mothership" where I do store large files, Sente, Devonthink. I would do most of my heavy writing on the macmini.

Has anyone used a similar set up for grad school? Does anybody see any problems?

Thanks

 

[gostan]

Why not keep the MB Pro and get an external monitor w/keyboard & mouse? Instead of selling the laptop and purchasing and replacing it with a Mac Mini.

 

[franmatt80]

Sounds like a good idea to me. I use my iPad & BT keyboard for all my Masters research and assignments, and storing/ reading/ marking academic papers and texts when I'm out and about. It's perfect for field research too, and when I upgrade to ipad2, I'll be able to do all the scanning of papers etc I need - perfect.

At home I have a MacBook Pro which now never leaves the house as I find the iPad is all I need. So I would think a Mac Mini and peripherals would be just perfect.

All depends if there is any software that you can't get on an iPad that you may need while you're out and about?

 

[Uofmtiger]

All depends if there is any software that you can't get on an iPad that you may need while you're out and about

The OP could always use logmein to wirelessly remotely control the mini, so unless the program had motion video or audio that needed to be streamed, they coud run it without much problem.

 

[mikes70mustang]

Why not keep the MB Pro and get an external monitor w/keyboard & mouse? Instead of selling the laptop and purchasing and replacing it with a Mac Mini.

+1 Why waste your money on an ipad when a macbook pro would do everything you need. Ipad+keyboard is going to be just as much a hassle as a MBP. Just get an external monitor and be done with it.