Second this. Between work and home I have two iMacs and my 13" rMBP. Dropbox keeps them all in sync, with local copies of my files saved on each computer. Then I make changes, those get pushed out to all the other Macs, my iPad, and iPhone.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What do you use as your second travelling laptop
- Thread starter Samtb
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Second this. Between work and home I have two iMacs and my 13" rMBP. Dropbox keeps them all in sync, with local copies of my files saved on each computer. Then I make changes, those get pushed out to all the other Macs, my iPad, and iPhone.
+1 for Dropbox. My machines are in my signature. The 13" MBP is for home use - I can move it from room to room and out onto the patio easily. For travel, I have the 11" MBA, because the size and weight do make a difference. I use Dropbox and Sugarsync to keep data in sync and/or available on the go.
I'm kind of lost. How can you have 2 laptops one for travel and one for work/home?
Let's say, I have all my work on my late 2013 MBPr. Great.
Then I'm going out of town, and for whatever reason my MBPr feels too heavy so I pull out my brand new gold MacBook and take it with me.
I'm in a plane, I boot up my MacBook, and....WHERE'S MY DATA?
That's right...it's on my MBPr at HOME!
derp
Can anyone explain how it's possible to have 2 laptops with the same data on it so you could actually make the 2nd laptop useful for on the go????
I mean it would have to update in real time to the OTHER laptop so I could just take it with me...is this possible?
----------
If there's a way, you would know. Please advise.
You must have Dropbox (or whatever cloud service) synced between two computers. This means making sure you have accessed a wifi network before traveling so that the most recent files will have downloaded.
I use a 15" rMBP for photo editing, research, and statistical analyses. This was provided by my work and I love the retina screen. Truth be told it's more power than I need but at least that 750M don't stutter when running external monitors and a dozen applications. I use an ol' late-2010 13" MBA as my travel companion and as a home media player. They both have all the equivalent software installed and share a Dropbox folder with all my relevant work files. iTunes music is shared between them via home sharing. This setup permits me to use the MBA as a a full replacement for the rMBP should I (shudder) need to have it repaired and for on the go processing where I am limited by space or fear spills or theft (flights, trains, conferences).
I have a few other apple notebooks including a 12" ibook and an old 13" and 15" MBP. I find the logic of bringing these laptops with lesser performance for travels an odd decision as I would want to bring the notebook with the highest performance density along with me. Anyway I usually use laptops till they aren't relevant to my needs and others I have received as gifts, so these old models are rarely used at home or at the office.
Even when travelling to countries less safe and slightly grungier than my own (not being snooty) where the laptop may receive some knocks here and there and where hotels do not have safes to stash my valuables, I bring the best and newest. Its amazing that a 2kg laptop with a ridiculously beautiful display and a quad core processor can fit into my backpack and it adds hardly any weight for a daily commute during travelling.
Most importantly, the rMBP has a full desktop browser and hence you'll never encounter a situation with pesky online flight check-ins. Though the iPad/iPhone has an awesome mobile browser, its best to have something which will not fail rendering components of a page especially when you are in unfamiliar territory.
So whether travelling for work or leisure here's my logic on picking your usual/best machine:
Work: My existing workflows are with me on a machine with sufficient power. Yes, dropbox or any cloud storage circumvents the issue of having your files around, but sometimes you need solid desktop apps and settings/automation/workspaces that you've slowly configured while on the job.
Leisure: I'm having a good time and using my laptop as usual should be part of the experience.
Even when travelling to countries less safe and slightly grungier than my own (not being snooty) where the laptop may receive some knocks here and there and where hotels do not have safes to stash my valuables, I bring the best and newest. Its amazing that a 2kg laptop with a ridiculously beautiful display and a quad core processor can fit into my backpack and it adds hardly any weight for a daily commute during travelling.
Most importantly, the rMBP has a full desktop browser and hence you'll never encounter a situation with pesky online flight check-ins. Though the iPad/iPhone has an awesome mobile browser, its best to have something which will not fail rendering components of a page especially when you are in unfamiliar territory.
So whether travelling for work or leisure here's my logic on picking your usual/best machine:
Work: My existing workflows are with me on a machine with sufficient power. Yes, dropbox or any cloud storage circumvents the issue of having your files around, but sometimes you need solid desktop apps and settings/automation/workspaces that you've slowly configured while on the job.
Leisure: I'm having a good time and using my laptop as usual should be part of the experience.
Well my only computers that I own are a mid-2009 13" MBP and a late-2013 13" rMBP. The MBP stays home all the time, and the rMBP comes with me to school. I also have an iPad Mini that's actually ideal for travel when I don't have homework to do. But I'm an education major, and my part-time job is a preschool aide.
Since your main computer is a 17" MBP, I'd suggest the 13" rMBP as a traveling laptop. It's lightweight and easy to carry in a backpack and has plenty of ports for photo transfers and connecting to a TV (two USB 3.0, two Thunderbolt, SD, and HDMI). You can also get a better processor than the MBA or rMB. The display is also beautiful, and you could scale to something similar to your 17" if you need that kind of space.
Since your main computer is a 17" MBP, I'd suggest the 13" rMBP as a traveling laptop. It's lightweight and easy to carry in a backpack and has plenty of ports for photo transfers and connecting to a TV (two USB 3.0, two Thunderbolt, SD, and HDMI). You can also get a better processor than the MBA or rMB. The display is also beautiful, and you could scale to something similar to your 17" if you need that kind of space.
