So, is MBP + iPad 2 the new ultimate combo?

[Ahheck01]

Now with the extra power and capabilities of the iPad 2, it seems that there are very few uses left for carrying a laptop around day-to-day - especially if you jailbreak. Other than high-end content creation (Final Cut Pro or CS5 etc), there seems to be little the iPad cannot do for most people.

I've been using a 13" Macbook Pro for a long time (upgraded from unibody Macbook to 2.4ghz mid 2010 MBP) as a "mobile" workstation. It sucks for both. It's thick, heavy, and technically limited. 90% of my useage can be transferred to the iPad.

For everything else (I do a fair share of video editing), it seems that the Quad Core 15" Macbook Pro in high-res anti-glare that can dock with a 27" Cinema Display at home would be the ideal power station that can be mobile if absolutely necessary.

Are there any blatant limitations to this setup? Am I the only one thinking this way?

Curious to your thoughts...

 

[gdeputy]

Now with the extra power and capabilities of the iPad 2, it seems that there are very few uses left for carrying a laptop around day-to-day - especially if you jailbreak. Other than high-end content creation (Final Cut Pro or CS5 etc), there seems to be little the iPad cannot do for most people.

I've been using a 13" Macbook Pro for a long time (upgraded from unibody Macbook to 2.4ghz mid 2010 MBP) as a "mobile" workstation. It sucks for both. It's thick, heavy, and technically limited. 90% of my useage can be transferred to the iPad.

For everything else (I do a fair share of video editing), it seems that the Quad Core 15" Macbook Pro in high-res anti-glare that can dock with a 27" Cinema Display at home would be the ideal power station that can be mobile if absolutely necessary.

Are there any blatant limitations to this setup? Am I the only one thinking this way?

Curious to your thoughts...

Well, the price of your proposed setup is $3300. Why wouldn't you just spend 1699 on an iMac 27" and 499 on an iPad, costing only 2200?

At that price point you could even grab yourself a base Macbook Pro 13" for 3400 total. if you wanted a portable REAL computer for those rare times you travel.

So, yes, your the only one thinking that way.

 

[Ahheck01]

Well, the price of your proposed setup is $3300. Why wouldn't you just spend 1699 on an iMac 27" and 499 on an iPad, costing only 2200?

At that price point you could even grab yourself a base Macbook Pro 13" for 3400 total. if you wanted a portable REAL computer for those rare times you travel.

So, yes, your the only one thinking that way.

Well, for the actual computer, it needs to be a powerhorse for frequent FCP editing. The way I proposed it's

iPad 3G 16GB: $630
Macbook Pro 15": $2650
- 2.2 Ghz Core i7
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB SSD
- Anti-glare High-Res
Cinema Display: $1000

Total: $4280


With an iMac:
iPad 3G 16GB: $630
iMac 27": $2470
- 2.93 Ghz Core i7
- 8GB RAM
- 1TB 7200rpm

Total: $3100

That iMac has a benchmark about 800 points lower than the MBP.

The challenge is, on the days when I want to get out of the office and work from a Starbucks or B&N, with the iMac I'm stuck at home (I work from home). When I work from home, I've got 1 display, also. Either way I have a 27" screen for the editing, but in one case I have a high res 15" screen for daily stuff - IM, email, RSS, etc.

I don't know... it's a challenging decision...