Help me decide which mac to buy!

[MiKenning]

Hey guys,

I am going to university next year to do computer science (programming, &c), and I'm getting a new Mac. (I've made my decision, and this is what I'm doing. Please no comments on how I shouldn't bother upgrading.) I have the choice between two things: I could buy a 15" rMBP, or I could buy an iMac with an iPad. I'm going to wait until October so I can get the upgraded version of whatever, but I need your advice. I have a few questions:

1) Which combination should I get: rMBP, or iMac and iPad?
2) Are iPads actually any good for programming? I'm very sceptical about this, but I noticed a few apps on the app store that would do the bare minimum.

I can spend at least £2000, and I have a university discount as well. If I bought what I wanted at the moment, it would cost me:

• £1856.20 for the iMac and iPad I want
• £1953.60 for the Macbook Pro I'd want

Any advice?

Update: I've made a decision: I'm buying an iMac, and not an iPad. I already have a functional MacBook Pro so I might as well run it down first, before upgrading it.

 

[designs216]

Is cost an object? If not, get the rMBP and TBD for more real estate when you dock. If we're trying to save, I would look at the 13" MBA, especially w/ the increased battery life. The 256/8GB config is the sweet spot. Pair it with a decent Dell monitor or save up to buy the TBD later.

 

[kurzz]

As a student, I think you'd be better off with a laptop. Just generalizing but most students need to be mobile. As a student, I would work on my laptop everywhere and wouldn't want to be tied to a desktop.

 

[MiKenning]

As a student, I think you'd be better off with a laptop. Just generalizing but most students need to be mobile. As a student, I would work on my laptop everywhere and wouldn't want to be tied to a desktop.

I've already got a MacBook Pro, so portability isn't an issue here. I've had a long discussion with my mum, and we've gone over the pros and cons and whatnot, and I've decided to get an iMac when it's updated in August/September.

My thinking is that the iMac will last me at least 5 years of my life, and this MacBook Pro, despite being 4 years, has a good couple of years left in it before it's done. Hell—it may even go on for another 4! I'm doing an industry year in the 3rd year of uni, so at that time I will probably update my MacBook Pro as I may be commuting a lot of the time.

People may ask why I'm bothering to get an iMac if I already have a functional MacBook Pro, and I have several reasons:

• I want something which I can do actual work on
• I need more real estate
• I can't write on my laptop screen as efficiently
• I need a computer with more power than my MacBook Pro
• I need my space on my MacBook Pro, and it doesn't seem worth the investment to buy another hard disk
• I like the appeal of a home platform and mobile platform which isn't an iPad (I don't like iPads, in all honesty. The screens are too small to do anything productive on, and I have big hands.)