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Second Mac...go up or down?

C

cjhunter

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 27, 2009
22
0
Ok, so I have a MB 13" unibody which I love dearly. Now it's time to consider replacing either my netbook or my desktop PC at work. I have roughly $2k available, and my primary needs are web/email/office apps.

So the question is, do I go 'up' to a 24" iMac (especially with the heads-up that they may be updated soon), or 'down' to a MB Air? (ok, no flames about the up/down...it's about the sizing, not quality or anything!)

The 13" is a wonderful portable machine, but there are days when I just prefer to grab a USB stick with my files and head to work. So the iMac would allow that level of portability, while the MBA would require one computer to always commute with me. But the MBA has sex appeal, and doubles as replacing my crappy little netbook.

Thoughts?
 
In my opinion, the best possible scenario would be an 24" iMac for everyday computing, and a companion MacBook Air for those times when you need a portable computer.

This is my opinion, of course. And no, I do not own those two machines; I can't afford to! :D (I have an 20" iMac and (currently) a ThinkPad T40. I will be getting a busted white MacBook that I will attempt to repair. If it's successful, I'll give the T40 the boot, and I'll be sort of close to my dream come true! :D)

For now, I'd think you'd get the 24" iMac, because you already have a portable.
 
Since you already have a fairly new MacBook, I would go for the iMac. Is there a reason you would need a MacBook AND and MacBook Air? They have the same footprint and the MacBook is pretty light compared to many other laptops. You might enjoy the extra size of the iMac more than the slight weight advantage of the Air.
 
If you don't know, you don't need. Give the money to a climate-change related charity. You'll feel better.
 
Personally, I’ve always thought the Air was a dumb product. You’re paying significantly more for significantly less, all for the sake of saving a pound and a half of weight.
 
If you have a perfectly good small portable, it makes sense to go for the desktop. I'd wait for the next iMacs to come out, then you can choose either one of those, or one of the current models at a reduced price (either from a reseller or a refurb on the Apple Store).

Or, get a low-end mini, upgrade the RAM and HD and maybe wait for the mythical tablet.
 
devburke said:
Personally, I’ve always thought the Air was a dumb product. You’re paying significantly more for significantly less, all for the sake of saving a pound and a half of weight.
Click to expand...

true a 13" would be perfect. stop being so spoiled.
 
devburke said:
Personally, I’ve always thought the Air was a dumb product. You’re paying significantly more for significantly less, all for the sake of saving a pound and a half of weight.
Click to expand...

Yes, yes. It's a niche product, and you and the OP don't fit the demographic. I'm sure a lot of products look dumb to a lot of people.
 
leighonigar said:
If you don't know, you don't need. Give the money to a climate-change related charity. You'll feel better.
Click to expand...

thats the stupidest idea ive ever heard... "global warming" or the newly retitled "climate crisis" is a bunch of horse manure spewed out by al gore and his cronies in order to get you to pay more for the "green" companies they have a major financial investment in. NOTHING more. go read a real science book.


Buy the iMac, you have a sweet laptop... I love having a mbp and an iMac, GREAT combo.
 
iMac 24" fully loaded (4gb, 1TB, ATI 4850) would be good. That gives you the performance desktop and medium-performance laptop. Best of both worlds imo.

For those saying get a air or whatever ( i skimmed it, just saw something about air, plus im tired :p), air is only good for being lightweight. 13" MBP is better, and just a bit bigger. deal with the weight.
 
My opinion, is to go for the 24" iMac since you have a MB laptop to balance things out. Desktop plus laptop mobility. I think the MB Air does not have a DVD drive.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
That is what I would do as well. However, question for the OP - why do you have to replace your work desktop? Shouldn't your company replace it?
Click to expand...

+1 on the above question...

...and, why get anything right now with the specs of your MBP and your netbook as your ultraportable, you should be able to wait at least 6 months to a year to see what "latest/greatest" comes out from just about all the major computer makers including :apple:

...unless of course you get a deal so good, it can't be passed up...
 
ucfgrad93 said:
That is what I would do as well. However, question for the OP - why do you have to replace your work desktop? Shouldn't your company replace it?
Click to expand...

I am the company :)

It's basically a matter of rotating things out before they're too long in the tooth, plus wanting to get all of my machines on one OS. The netbook just ticks me off...too bloody slow for my taste. The desktop is 2 years old and wasn't anything stunning to begin with. Perfectly serviceable, but it's time to start looking for a replacement. I thought with the new iMacs on the horizon (maybe), it might be a good time to consider things. Plus the budgets have a tiny bit of extra cash for IT stuff right now.
 
For the apps you're wanting to run consider a mac mini:
1) Mac mini 2009 (with nvidia 9400m) refurb $499
2) Get a refurb 24" monitor (acd if you don't mind glossy) or a refurb 30"
3) Consider reusing the old monitor if it's still good
4) reuse the keyboard/mouse
 
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