Moving into the city, downsizing Macs

[dontwalkhand]

I am moving from my house in the suburbs to a "hip urban apartment" in the heart of Tempe because of multiple reasons:

• I need to be closer to work
• I need to be near public transportation that doesn't require tremendous amounts of transfers. (One light rail ride vs. multiple buses)...and be less reliant on my car. The car will be parked for free in the apartment's garage.
• Saving money

Anyways, I right now have an iMac with an external monitor, an iPad, and an iPhone. The loft I have leased, has very little space for a full blown setup like this. So I am looking to MacRumors to see what I should do.

Which route should I go?

• Keep the iMac, Get rid of external monitor, use iPad for portable work.
• Sell iMac and monitor and get a MacBook and keep the iPad
• Sell the iPad and external monitor, use the money to get a MacBook.
• Other suggestions?

 

[flopticalcube]

Sell the monitor. Your iMac is bigger than the MacBooks screen and yet still small compared to most computers.

 

[kmaute]

Sell the iMac, keep the display. If it's a poor display, considering selling the display and buying a 24" ACD. Then buy a 13" MBP, keep the iPad. Use the MBP and the display with this.

Use the iPad for lounging around, going out when you do not need a computer. Use the docked MBP with an external keyboard and mouse for when you are at home - take said MBP out whenever you need a full computer. All your bases are covered...

 

[dmr727]

If the iPad satisfies all your portable requirements, I'd just sell the external monitor and keep the iMac. Otherwise sell the iMac, external monitor, and buy a MacBook.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Sell the monitor. Your iMac is bigger than the MacBooks screen and yet still small compared to most computers.

Agreed, keep the iMac & sell the monitor.

 

[Decrepit]

Consider keeping all of it, and coming up with a way to mount the 2nd monitor on an arm so it can be swung out of the way when not in use.

 

[0098386]

I'd do this;

Sell the iPad and external monitor, use the money to get a MacBook.

A full powered desktop and a good, well built but small laptop is my favoured setup. There's nothing it can't do! The Macbooks are also very capable machines. Even the lowest model will be a little beast.