iMac or MacBook plus Thunderbolt Display?

[PatriotInvasion]

I am a proud iMac user, but starting to crave some level of portability around my house. I love having a gorgeous 27" LED IPS display when I feel like being in my home office, but there are times I wish I could just have my Mac on the couch as well.

I tried the iPad, but having a true 3rd device to pull up a website was a little bit overkill so I sold it, but now I miss the portability option. The iPhone's screen is just too small for anything meaningful.

Unfortunately, there is a very high cost in going the TBD+MB route. Should I bite the bullet and do it for the portability or just get the iPad again for bigger-screen around the house Apple entertainment?

 

[ivoruest]

iPad should do well. You won't miss the Macbook if you're doing regular consumer use. (Web Browsing, Emails and some Apps of the iPad). If you plan on doing something a bit heavier then I suggest you consider the Macbook.

 

[bogatyr]

If you already have an iMac, you don't need to buy a TBD. Just the laptop.

 

[deconstruct60]

If you already have an iMac, you don't need to buy a TBD. Just the laptop.

I suspect part of the desire here is to have the "same stuff" in either location. The iMac as a semi-permanent display is a bit overboard (it is more expensive than a TB Display).

If that aspect isn't important ( e.g., bookmarks , tabs , etc synched and actual files and apps don't matter much) then the iPad makes more sense than getting a laptop just to sit on the couch and surf. Since the iPhone is "too small", it really doesn't matter as being a 3rd device. So it really is about having two devices.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

If you already have an iMac, you don't need to buy a TBD. Just the laptop.

But then I'd have a dead iMac that is still quite powerful simply being used as a display. I'd rather sell it and have the official TBD+MB set up if I went that route.

I think I'll sit back and wait for the 13" retina MacBook and the *possibility* of a retina 27" TBD. That is the dream combo for me, but it's probably years away on the latter

I am also considering just riding the iMac until the wheels fall off and getting an iPad again. The retina display on the iPad is a huge selling feature for me now and one of the reasons I sold my iPad 2 (screen just didn't look nearly as crisp as my iPhone at the time). The only problem I have with this is the overkill factor of 3 devices and the fact that the iPhone and iPad end up turning the iMac into a dust collector for the vast majority of tasks --- I don't like that.

 

[bogatyr]

But then I'd have a dead iMac that is still quite powerful simply being used as a display. I'd rather sell it and have the official TBD+MB set up if I went that route.

I think I'll sit back and wait for the 13" retina MacBook and the *possibility* of a retina 27" TBD. That is the dream combo for me, but it's probably years away on the latter

I am also considering just riding the iMac until the wheels fall off and getting an iPad again. The retina display on the iPad is a huge selling feature for me now and one of the reasons I sold my iPad 2 (screen just didn't look nearly as crisp as my iPhone at the time). The only problem I have with this is the overkill factor of 3 devices and the fact that the iPhone and iPad end up turning the iMac into a dust collector for the vast majority of tasks --- I don't like that.

Assuming your iMac is a 2011 with Thunderbolt - put your laptop into Thunderbolt target disk mode and boot off of it with the iMac. This gives you a 27" display, better internals, and the same file system on both machines. Plus you can buy a cheaper, lower end, model laptop - even a 2011 MBA would work quite well.

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I suspect part of the desire here is to have the "same stuff" in either location. The iMac as a semi-permanent display is a bit overboard (it is more expensive than a TB Display).

If that aspect isn't important ( e.g., bookmarks , tabs , etc synched and actual files and apps don't matter much) then the iPad makes more sense than getting a laptop just to sit on the couch and surf. Since the iPhone is "too small", it really doesn't matter as being a 3rd device. So it really is about having two devices.

Using target disk mode, you get both the power of the iMac when at home, the portability of the laptop on the road, and the same file system on both machines.

 

[comatory]

Assuming your iMac is a 2011 with Thunderbolt - put your laptop into Thunderbolt target disk mode and boot off of it with the iMac. This gives you a 27" display, better internals, and the same file system on both machines. Plus you can buy a cheaper, lower end, model laptop - even a 2011 MBA would work quite well.

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Using target disk mode, you get both the power of the iMac when at home, the portability of the laptop on the road, and the same file system on both machines.

See this first
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2011/06/30/enormous-disappointment-with-thunderbolt

http://blog.macsales.com/10882-thunderbolt-via-target-disk-mode

 

[bogatyr]

See this first
http://www.hardmac.com/news/2011/06/30/enormous-disappointment-with-thunderbolt

http://blog.macsales.com/10882-thunderbolt-via-target-disk-mode

That's interesting, though I still plan on picking up an iMac 2012 when they're released (or the next model if not a 2012) and using it this way. I'm more interested in the seek time/latency as the small file transfers are what matter most. Neither article mentioned these items, just large file transfers.

Perhaps they fixed target disk mode in the 2012 MBA model as well. I know I get SSD speeds using a drive adapter to Thunderbolt, so it is entirely in their implementation of target disk mode.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Assuming your iMac is a 2011 with Thunderbolt - put your laptop into Thunderbolt target disk mode and boot off of it with the iMac. This gives you a 27" display, better internals, and the same file system on both machines. Plus you can buy a cheaper, lower end, model laptop - even a 2011 MBA would work quite well.

----------



Using target disk mode, you get both the power of the iMac when at home, the portability of the laptop on the road, and the same file system on both machines.

I have a mid-2010 model 27" iMac, so no Thunderbolt It's only 2 years old, and has plenty left in the tank so may just get an iPad at some point unless Apple gets moving on retina-izing it's MacBook line and Thunderbolt Display which would be enough to pry my wallet open.