MB Vs. 13' MBP Vs. MBA (iPad perhaps)

[Kauai]

I've been using laptops all my life but recently I've decided to finally get a desktop (iMac) to handle my gaming (very light) and heavy program use. I'm going to be waiting till the next major update to get an iMac though and in the meantime I'll be getting a laptop/portable to tide me over.

I do however still love to surf the internet, watch videos and do other very light tasks from bed, while on the couch, -- and will need it for when I travel as well. Which is pretty often to visit family, but I don't have to do heavy tasks while there. Since I'm going to get an iMac I am only looking in the low 1000 range or below.

I'm not going to lie, I'd love to wait till Apple releases i3's for their 13' line, -- but I figure since my laptop will only face very light usage it isn't very important. Much less so than possible SB, SSDs, increased clock rate etc for the iMac update.

The MBP 13' is a bit more than the MB, is the increased price worth it or would the MB more than cover my needs? I would consider a MBA but to me it just seems like you get a lot less -- processor, screen size, ram, hard drive -- for the same price as a MB or a MBP.

And I would consider an iPad but honestly I am not convinced yet. I hear a lot of people talk about how it has replaced their MBs/MBPs but I will need to be easily able to type and a traditional keyboard just seems the way to go. Plus for watching videos and the like, the iPad is obviously less versatile on it's own without flash or java support.

Thanks for any opinions. And yes I realize there are many "this or that" threads here but none of them specifically address my own questions.

 

[alust2013]

Why do you need to wait for the new revision of the iMac? It likely won't be for a while.

 

[Kauai]

Why do you need to wait for the new revision of the iMac? It likely won't be for a while.

Because if the next update to the iMac is due sometime in March-April and is likely to feature some fairly big updates, at least that's the current speculation, I'm more than willing to wait, save up, and then get a top of the line new release. I am more than aware of the fact that there is always something new around the corner, but if you can jump on the bandwagon right after it leaves the station, why not? (Was that a fail metaphor? Sounds funny when I say it aloud. )

Plus either way I'm going to be being both an iMac and a laptop/portable. My iMac being more powerful, even if only incrementally, is more important than my laptop/portable being the newest generation since it will only see light use.

 

[Kauai]

I just realized I probably should have posted this in the Notebooks forum...If a mod (does MR have mods?) wants to move it they can. Otherwise I'll re post later. Sorry.

 

[Hellhammer]

I just realized I probably should have posted this in the Notebooks forum...If a mod (does MR have mods?) wants to move it they can. Otherwise I'll re post later. Sorry.

One thread. Do not post a thread more than once. Post a new thread in the proper forum. If the topic is relevant to more than one forum, pick the best fit or most specific forum and post it only once.

https://macrumors.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

If you want your thread to be moved, click the report button (

) and write what should be done and why. We all do mistakes so you won't be punished.

Back to the topic, I would go for MBP. You already get 4GB of RAM and at least I prefer the aluminum body.

 

[Quicksilver2001]

What I did (my .02 cents)

OK. I bought a 13-inch MacBook Pro once the right models (Spring 2010) came out. The Late 2008 Unibody MacBook 2.4GHz was in the ballpark, but the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, lack of some kind of expansion slot, lack of FireWire, too little memory, poor battery life on the removable battery, and lower-quality screen put me off. I bought an iMac Early 2008 2.8GHz 2GB (which I later maxed out to 4GB) 320GB ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro instead as a family computer. I bought an (at the time current) 2G 16GB iPod touch for iOS (then called iPhone OS) exploration.

Then the Summer 2009 model MacBook Pro came out, but the 2.26GHz CPU was too slow for my requirements, the 160GB HD was too small, the 2GB of RAM was also a significant letdown, and the inability to output HDMI audio through the Mini-DisplayPort was also a turn off. I wound up buying a "temporary holding" White MacBook with a 2.4GHz CPU, but the same low specs for memory andHD space, but as it was a temporary holding computer, the limitations I could live with a whole lot more.

The Spring 2010 low-end model had the right speed CPU, a comfortable amount of RAM, and a big-enough HD (250GB) along with better second-generation graphics (NVIDIA GeForce 320M) and it was more than worth the 1 year 6 month 3 week and 4 day wait. I don't regret buying it like Charles Moore regretted buying his unibody MacBook regular 2.0GHz once the 2.26GHz MacBook Pro came out. Not even the new 13-inch $1299 MacBook Air, incredible though it is, makes me regret buying the 13-inch low-end model MacBook Pro. I love the built-in optical drive and the much bigger hard disk compared to the $999 MacBook Air's cramped 64GB SSD.

Of course, it helps having the 24-inch iMac and iPod touch, but since I have them, the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2.4GHz low-end model works for me.

Thanks all and have a great day!

 

[sbddude]

As a secondary machine I recommended the 13" MBP.

Since the 17" is my primary (only) machine, I chose the larger size for screen real estate, expansion (expresscard, 3x USB), and i5 option over C2D.

I also have an iPad and the 17" + iPad is a great combo.

Likewise the 13" and iMac will be a great combo.