I once was a firm believer that everybody should own a desktop and a laptop. As a college student I am required to have a laptop in my classes, and I enjoyed having a desktop at home that I can use as an always on system (stream media, query data, whatever). But lately I am not really enjoying the desktop/laptop combo.
Why? Simple: I have found that owning a desktop and laptop is a hassle. Here is my current hardware lineup:
uMBP 17": 500GB HD, 4GB RAM, 2.8GHz Processor
MacBook Air: 80GB HD, 2GB RAM, 1.6GHz Processor
Mac Mini: 200GB HD, 4GB RAM, 2.0GHz Processor & 2x 21.5" 1080p LCD
I would use my laptop all day at class, get home and need to transfer my data between my two places (or use my iDisk), start working some more, ensure my data was once again transferred to the iDisk (or synced properly at least) before heading off to class again the next day. To me this is a huge hassle.
I just recently moved my 2 displays off my desk that were on my Mac Mini and am just using my mini as a headless streaming media server for my PS3, and when I get home from class I throw my MBP on a Rain Design mStand, plug in my keyboard/mouse, and use it as a 'desktop'. This way I never need to juggle data, keep applications updated in multiple places, etc. I am finding myself liking this whole 1 system routine a lot better, but at the same time I am annoyed because I spent a lot of money on my displays and dual LCD lift stand for my mini.
So my question is this: for those of you with multiple systems, how do you handle the data shuffle and still remain sane? I want to use two systems because I purchased 2 systems, and I really could use some tips/advice on how to do so effectively .
Why? Simple: I have found that owning a desktop and laptop is a hassle. Here is my current hardware lineup:
uMBP 17": 500GB HD, 4GB RAM, 2.8GHz Processor
MacBook Air: 80GB HD, 2GB RAM, 1.6GHz Processor
Mac Mini: 200GB HD, 4GB RAM, 2.0GHz Processor & 2x 21.5" 1080p LCD
I would use my laptop all day at class, get home and need to transfer my data between my two places (or use my iDisk), start working some more, ensure my data was once again transferred to the iDisk (or synced properly at least) before heading off to class again the next day. To me this is a huge hassle.
I just recently moved my 2 displays off my desk that were on my Mac Mini and am just using my mini as a headless streaming media server for my PS3, and when I get home from class I throw my MBP on a Rain Design mStand, plug in my keyboard/mouse, and use it as a 'desktop'. This way I never need to juggle data, keep applications updated in multiple places, etc. I am finding myself liking this whole 1 system routine a lot better, but at the same time I am annoyed because I spent a lot of money on my displays and dual LCD lift stand for my mini.
So my question is this: for those of you with multiple systems, how do you handle the data shuffle and still remain sane? I want to use two systems because I purchased 2 systems, and I really could use some tips/advice on how to do so effectively .