Should I keep my Macbook Pro 13" or switch to an iPad and HTPC (f.i. Mac Mini)?

[Reiger]

Ok, I need your help. This is a little different compared to all the other MBP threads...

I've bought an iMac 21,5" in november and I absolutely love it. The screen real estate and the the better ergonomics make it a pleasure to work on, compared to my Macbook Pro 13" (base model, mid 2009).

Because of the iMac, I only use my MBP hooked up to the TV to watch my favorite TV shows using Plex (mediacenter software). That works great, however I hardly use my Macbook Pro for anything else. That seems like a waste. It was way to expensive to use it just for that. I only take it with me a few times a year. I can't use it while watching a TV show, so I (sometimes) browse the internet using my iPhone.

The new iPad seems better than I expected. I love the fact that it's so light and small. I think I would / could take it with me all the time. The 2 kg of the MBP is just too much. Anyway, since I use my Macbook Pro only as a HTPC, I'm thinking about selling the Macbook Pro and buying a dedicated HTPC. That could easily finance both the HTPC and an iPad.

However what am I missing?

 

[techound1]

Nothing. It's sound plan (and what we decided to do as well).

 

[Reiger]

You don't feel you are missing out on the features of the iPad compared to the Macbook Pro?

I don't think I will, but some things you only miss when they're gone

 

[Makosuke]

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. The only "maybe" would be if, on the occasions you do use the MBP as a portable, you're doing something that it's significantly better suited for.

That is, if you're doing a lot of typing on it, you might end up feeling constrained by the iPad (of course, you could also just get a wireless keyboard--that plus an iPad is still smaller and lighter than a 13" MBP). Or, if the times you take the computer out you do so because you want to edit video or run Photoshop or work in a web IDE or something, then probably a bad idea.

Apart from those sort of "high end" use cases, though, I'd go with lighter and easier, personally. Same reason that, were I a person who traveled a lot, I'd almost certainly have a 17" MBP (which I already have, and serves mostly as a desktop for which the desk is the coffee table in front of the couch) and an iPad, for use based on what I needed to do while I was out and about.

Mini makes a great HTPC-, by the way--I'm using mine for that plus a file server, and it's been flawless serving MKVs, Quicktime videos, ripped DVDs, Hulu/other Flash video, and Silverlight streaming to a 1080p TV and home theater sound system.

 

[Reiger]

I've thought about the "heavy" on the road use... But I mostly use my Mac's for light work such as web browsing, mail, iWork and iLife. Sometimes I like to do some gaming or photo/video editing, but never on the road. The only other thing is a Keynote-presentation. But I've owned a Macbook (Pro) with miniDisplayport for almost 1,5 years, and I haven't even bought the necessary adapter. I only needed it once...

When I have to do some real work I can use the iMac or I can use it's bluetooth keyboard