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rMBP, Apple TV and printer advice

Fulanito

Fulanito

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2013
7
0
Spain
Hi,

We need a new laptop as from time to time my wife and I have to bring the computer to work (at the same time) and we leave the other without it.

I'm a teacher and I use iPad with a projector but I know there are software so I can use the laptop connected to the projector and with the tablet make annotations on the computer screen (when showing a picture, making a presentation....) besides that laptop use will be documents, internet, movies programming (C, python nothing serious) and sometimes Aperture and little gaming.

For all these reasons I think rMPB 13" (8 gb RAM and 256 SSD) will be a good choice as it's only about 100$ more expensive than MBA (same RAM and SSD) in spanish apple store (educational). I can afford rMBP 15" but it would be too much, don't you think so? I've chosen 8 gb RAM, this way I feel confident it will last as my 2007 MacBook

I'm also thinking of getting an Apple TV but I've read in the buying's guide in this page that it's better to wait. Or also I've read in this forum in some thread Android TV will be better. I won't use at school cause we have VGA projectors and I want to use the software I mentioned.


Besides all of that I want to know your opinion about how printers work with Airprint? I've never used any nor seen any of those working. I consider buying a cheap one.


PS: Excuse my English. If I have to provide further explanations I'll be pleased to do so.
 
Fulanito said:
Hi,

We need a new laptop as from time to time my wife and I have to bring the computer to work (at the same time) and we leave the other without it.

I'm a teacher and I use iPad with a projector but I know there are software so I can use the laptop connected to the projector and with the tablet make annotations on the computer screen (when showing a picture, making a presentation....) besides that laptop use will be documents, internet, movies programming (C, python nothing serious) and sometimes Aperture and little gaming.

For all these reasons I think rMPB 13" (8 gb RAM and 256 SSD) will be a good choice as it's only about 100$ more expensive than MBA (same RAM and SSD) in spanish apple store (educational). I can afford rMBP 15" but it would be too much, don't you think so? I've chosen 8 gb RAM, this way I feel confident it will last as my 2007 MacBook

I'm also thinking of getting an Apple TV but I've read in the buying's guide in this page that it's better to wait. Or also I've read in this forum in some thread Android TV will be better. I won't use at school cause we have VGA projectors and I want to use the software I mentioned.


Besides all of that I want to know your opinion about how printers work with Airprint? I've never used any nor seen any of those working. I consider buying a cheap one.


PS: Excuse my English. If I have to provide further explanations I'll be pleased to do so.
Click to expand...

The 13 in rMBP is a good choice, as is a regular MBP which is user upgradeable (if this sort of thing is important to you). If you do get the rMBP, please load up on RAM up front as RAM makes the most difference in system performance on any OS.

I like Brother printers. I like the way they work with OSX. The only issue is that they are not airprint printers. I have some shareware on one of my Macs that turns ANY printer into an airprint printer so I can print from my iPad mini, iPhone, etc. The one I use is called printopia. I haven't tested it since updating to Mavericks and iOS7 and their site doesn't specifically address compatibility with iOS7 or Mavericks so be sure to check before you buy. If I get a chance to test it later today with iOS7 printing through my MBP running Mavericks, I will update this thread with the result.
 
I have some shareware on one of my Macs that turns ANY printer into an airprint printer so I can print from my iPad mini, iPhone, etc.
Click to expand...

I didn't know such software exists, thanks a lot.

If you do get the rMBP, please load up on RAM up front as RAM makes the most difference in system performance on any OS.
Click to expand...

Would you choose 16 Gb RAM instead of 8 Gb?
 
Fulanito said:
I didn't know such software exists, thanks a lot.



Would you choose 16 Gb RAM instead of 8 Gb?
Click to expand...

By today's standards, 16 GB is more than most users need, especially in light of Mavericks' ability to "compress" RAM. Think about how long you want to keep your rMBP. If you want to keep it 3 years or longer, by all means consider buying as much RAM as you can afford. If you think you might be upgrading in 3 years of less, 8 GB should be fine. Anecdotal evidence "in various forums around the internet" suggests average upgrade cycles (3 to 5 years) for Mac computers are a lot longer than PCs (18 months to 3 years).
 
If you want to keep it 3 years or longer, by all means consider buying as much RAM as you can afford
Click to expand...

That's exactly one answer I've not been able to find in internet.- or at least with precission-. My macbook is 6 years old and works really well .In my case, no computer ever lasted so much. That's why we're buying another mac.


Thanks a lot for your answer.
 
Thanks for your advices.

halledise and troy14; you're probably right and I will never need more than 8 gb. But I can see r0k and tmagman point

As I cannot upgrade, maybe, just maybe, in some years I will need for some reason more Gb for some software or because the computer is still usable in some years. Maybe I prefer to spend 200 euros more now than changing computer in three years. Though I must admit I see this is quite unlikely. A difficult decision.

I will go to the store today to use a rMBP a little bit, to check if I can see any UI lag as I've read in some threads. Though I think unless it's really obvious I won't realize.

Thanks for your suggestions with printers. There're so many to choose.
 
I have a canon pixma AirPrint printer and it's works fantastic. The only downside is it's really big.

We use the Apple TV more than we watch cable now. I will be getting a roku mainly for the plex client but Apple TV has a lot of content.
 
Thanks for your replies.

I'm waiting for black friday to compare prices and how much discount there are on those printers you pointed out. I'm also waiting to check rMBP discounts that day. But I think educational ones are better. Anyway it won't hurt waiting a couple of weeks
 
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