I have a quad i7 27" iMac that I bought earlier this year, it's way more than I need but feels right for everything I do. I'm not big on super intensive CPU power, I use it to manage my 10k+ photo library with some light editing when needed. I have a bunch of ripped movies and music stored across a few external drives. I run a PS3 server for video and music and also serve an Apple TV from this machine. I remote into it from my iPhone and iPad now and then for certain tasks. I have Windows 7 setup in Bootcamp and use it to VPN into my job network. So, I have a really powerful at home computer.
I have an iPad now that sees little use from me. My wife is the main user since her HP laptop sucks. I see her with the iPad all the time. I have never really fallen in love with it, and the only times I've really appreciated it has been during travel in airports and on planes.
I'm constantly buried in my iPhone replying to emails, surfing/replying on forums, listening to music, texting, general web surfing, etc... It serves it's purpose well, but I do get annoyed when filling out online forms and input boxes, or having to type out a lot on the little keyboard. I use the iPod function pretty much all day at work.
This week I've been thinking about how cool it would be to have an 11" MBA on my desk at work, hooked up to a portable external HD holding my music library and whatever other storage files I wanted. I could tether in to my iPhone for an internet connection and have a fully functioning computer off of the company network. It would be plugged into power when stationary, so I wouldn't have to worry about battery life. I could close it up and take it to lunch and breaks to use when I need to do things like replying to emails or shopping/surfing. I'm sure I would use it around the house, in bed, in the kitchen on the couch, etc... It would basically serve as a mobile extension of my iMac.
With all that being said, obviously I don't need a powerhouse machine. I want it to handle Youtube/web videos, the occasional HD movie, music, fast web browsing. I'm finding some decent deals on older models. I'm thinking I do not need a new i5/7 processor for any of this. The backlit keyboard would be really nice, but I dealt with not having it on my old Macbook for years.
What do you think? Any tips on where to find the best deals on a 2010 11"?
I have an iPad now that sees little use from me. My wife is the main user since her HP laptop sucks. I see her with the iPad all the time. I have never really fallen in love with it, and the only times I've really appreciated it has been during travel in airports and on planes.
I'm constantly buried in my iPhone replying to emails, surfing/replying on forums, listening to music, texting, general web surfing, etc... It serves it's purpose well, but I do get annoyed when filling out online forms and input boxes, or having to type out a lot on the little keyboard. I use the iPod function pretty much all day at work.
This week I've been thinking about how cool it would be to have an 11" MBA on my desk at work, hooked up to a portable external HD holding my music library and whatever other storage files I wanted. I could tether in to my iPhone for an internet connection and have a fully functioning computer off of the company network. It would be plugged into power when stationary, so I wouldn't have to worry about battery life. I could close it up and take it to lunch and breaks to use when I need to do things like replying to emails or shopping/surfing. I'm sure I would use it around the house, in bed, in the kitchen on the couch, etc... It would basically serve as a mobile extension of my iMac.
With all that being said, obviously I don't need a powerhouse machine. I want it to handle Youtube/web videos, the occasional HD movie, music, fast web browsing. I'm finding some decent deals on older models. I'm thinking I do not need a new i5/7 processor for any of this. The backlit keyboard would be really nice, but I dealt with not having it on my old Macbook for years.
What do you think? Any tips on where to find the best deals on a 2010 11"?
