If you could buy any Mac for personal use at home mostly, which one?

[lokiju]

I'm on the brink of buying a 13" Macbook Air but would like to hear different points of view on why to get that or something else.

Money wise, I've budgeted for the 13" Air and am ready and willing to buy it since it's a pretty new release and unlikely to have any updates for sometime.

I already have a 13" Macbook Pro through work and wouldn't be interested in that.

I'm looking to buy the Air just for around the house and personal only usage as I want to completely separate the personal/work usage of my current 13" MBP.

I already have a Mac Pro for horse power and desktop needs and don't think a iPad is at a point where it's able to replace a casual use laptop (for me at least) yet.

But again, I'm open to hearing different points...

 

[TheStu]

Right now, any Mac for personal use... 11" MBA, 4GB RAM, but still undecided on the storage. Assuming things go well with work, that is my planned birthday gift to myself.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

i've had the high end 13 inch macbook air for a month now and i love it. i've made a few comments about it here and there but it is hands down the best apple laptop i've owned. it's fast enough to do everything i want (even play starcraft 2 on medium settings for multiplayer in os x) while small enough for me to take it anywhere and it's got phenomenal battery life. the biggest downsides to the machine are its cost and fragility, but i really can't complain.

i have an ipad, and i just can't find a use for it anymore. if i haven't bought so many apps for it already, i'd probably sell it.

 

[Kaido]

i've had the high end 13 inch macbook air for a month now and i love it. i've made a few comments about it here and there but it is hands down the best apple laptop i've owned. it's fast enough to do everything i want (even play starcraft 2 on medium settings for multiplayer in os x) while small enough for me to take it anywhere and it's got phenomenal battery life. the biggest downsides to the machine are its cost and fragility, but i really can't complain.

i have an ipad, and i just can't find a use for it anymore. if i haven't bought so many apps for it already, i'd probably sell it.

Yeah, I'd suggest the 13" Air as well. My iPad is a fun consumption tool (and tool for my hobbies), but I like using a laptop FAR better for Internet-based stuff. My wife uses the for games and IMDB when we're watching movies and stuff like that and I'll use it to look something up really quick. I also use it for school. But for casual use, I think the Air is really the way to go. The 13" gives you a really nice screen size with a really nice resolution.

 

[Eug]

Check my sig.

 

[Patranus]

I don't think I could ever buy another laptop that wasn't a 15" powerbook.

 

[Tyranicus]

I don't think I could ever buy another laptop that wasn't a 15" powerbook.

Not even a pre-unibody 15" MacBook Pro? It has basically the same form factor.

 

[Patranus]

Not even a pre-unibody 15" MacBook Pro? It has basically the same form factor.

You know what I meant. You call it the same thing for 15 years, its bound to stick even if they change the name.

Every Apple laptop I have every purchased just gets better and better (with the exception of the PowerBook G4 Ti because of its hinge design)

 

[TheStu]

You know what I meant. You call it the same thing for 15 years, its bound to stick even if they change the name.

Every Apple laptop I have every purchased just gets better and better (with the exception of the PowerBook G4 Ti because of its hinge design)

I have messed around with G4 iBooks and PowerBooks, MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and a G3 PowerBook. It is interesting to me to see how their internal construction has changed as time moves on.

Using a HDD replacement as an example;
G3 PowerBook: easy, I think it was a swap bay
G4 iBook: dear god in heaven, let it end! you have to remove the keyboard, the palmrest, the battery, the bottom of case, the topcase, the top EMI shield, the bottom EMI shield, and about 60 or so screws in the process.
G4 PowerBook: quite a few screws, the keyboard, the topcase, the battery
Core Duo MacBook Pro: just like the G4 PowerBook
Core Duo MacBook: remove the battery and 3 screws
Core 2 Duo MacBook: same
Unibody MBP, removable battery: flip a lever and remove a screw

Plus how much tidier they have gotten internally. The Al PB design was a mess internally. Cables and tape everywhere, routed between fans and heatsinks and standoffs. Have you popped the bottom off of a new MBP? Wowzers.

 

[Patranus]

I have messed around with G4 iBooks and PowerBooks, MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and a G3 PowerBook. It is interesting to me to see how their internal construction has changed as time moves on.

Using a HDD replacement as an example;
G3 PowerBook: easy, I think it was a swap bay
G4 iBook: dear god in heaven, let it end! you have to remove the keyboard, the palmrest, the battery, the bottom of case, the topcase, the top EMI shield, the bottom EMI shield, and about 60 or so screws in the process.
G4 PowerBook: quite a few screws, the keyboard, the topcase, the battery
Core Duo MacBook Pro: just like the G4 PowerBook
Core Duo MacBook: remove the battery and 3 screws
Core 2 Duo MacBook: same
Unibody MBP, removable battery: flip a lever and remove a screw

Plus how much tidier they have gotten internally. The Al PB design was a mess internally. Cables and tape everywhere, routed between fans and heatsinks and standoffs. Have you popped the bottom off of a new MBP? Wowzers.

I still don't think there is anything sexier than the case of the PowerBook G3 Pismo.
I really like my new MBP but really wish Apple would give us something in black.

 

[Ns1]

i've had the high end 13 inch macbook air for a month now and i love it. i've made a few comments about it here and there but it is hands down the best apple laptop i've owned. it's fast enough to do everything i want (even play starcraft 2 on medium settings for multiplayer in os x) while small enough for me to take it anywhere and it's got phenomenal battery life. the biggest downsides to the machine are its cost and fragility, but i really can't complain.

i have an ipad, and i just can't find a use for it anymore. if i haven't bought so many apps for it already, i'd probably sell it.

question: how does the MBA handle SC2? You'd think I'd have issues playing SC2 for 6 hours in a row?

 

[Eug]

G4 iBook: dear god in heaven, let it end! you have to remove the keyboard, the palmrest, the battery, the bottom of case, the topcase, the top EMI shield, the bottom EMI shield, and about 60 or so screws in the process.

After replacing the HD in my G4 iBook, I feel like I can do anything.

 

[TheStu]

After replacing the HD in my G4 iBook, I feel like I can do anything.

I so want to put a new OWC SandForce SSD into my PowerBook, it would certainly be cheaper than a new MacBook Air, but even with that the PBook still wouldn't be able to keep up in terms of multitasking (single v dual core, 1.25GB v 4GB RAM, 1024*768 v 1366*768), it has a worse trackpad, and cannot playback high bitrate video files, at least nothing h264.

I don't know, maybe if I have $100 laying around at some point, I might replace the drive anyway so I have a better bang-around system. But then I might want to spend another $150 on a new screen (1400*1050) and another $150 on the 1.5GHz board, which has double the onboard RAM and double the VRAM. But at that point it would be $400 into a 6-7 year old laptop, which is more than a little crazy.

 

[speg]

Why not just create work and home user accounts?

I'd strongly consider an iPad. I use it for everything that isn't work. Which sounds like just the thing for you. At the very least, wait until the iPad 2 announcement to see how that shakes out.

 

[HaukSwe]

If it's just sitting at home iMac would be a pretty good move...

Anyway I'd wait for them to refresh the macbook pro's with sandy and macbook air style SSD's.

I'm upgrading my 15" 2.16 core 2 duo macbook pro to a 17" as soon as the refresh hits.

 

[Paperlantern]

I would make the move on the Air you are eyeing. I have an Air myself that I got used last week. Best laptop ive owned thus far. Great track pad, fast boot (SSD), and even with only 2GB of RAM i can run VirtualBox for any legacy windows apps i may need (I have a database program to keep track of service tickets i do on the side that is WINDOWS only and a few other similar programs), the windows machine boots in 12 seconds on this thing. I really enjoy using it both at home, and with its size, on the road. It's an incredible machine to say the least. Even runs Minecraft smooth as silk. Recommended.

 

[Kadarin]

I currently have 3 Macs that I use for personal use. A Mac Mini that's hooked up to the home theater setup, an iMac that has become my main home desktop, and an older (circa 2007) Macbook Pro that I really no longer need.

 

[sourceninja]

Honestly, a year ago I'd say macbook pro. But based on how my computer usage is now. I'd buy a imac. .

I have a mac at work, a ipad/iphone for the house/meetings/etc. What I really need is a large screen computer at home for getting down to business.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

question: how does the MBA handle SC2? You'd think I'd have issues playing SC2 for 6 hours in a row?

i can play sc2 multiplayer on full medium settings under os x. i have never played it on battery alone but i do not imagine you can play sc2 for 6 hours on battery alone. i only play about 2-3 matches at a time.

 

[TheStu]

i can play sc2 multiplayer on full medium settings under os x. i have never played it on battery alone but i do not imagine you can play sc2 for 6 hours on battery alone. i only play about 2-3 matches at a time.

I think he was referring to heat.

 

[Ns1]

I think he was referring to heat.

this.

 

[ubercaffeinated]

this.

the fan gets loud, but i don't know the actual temperature it hits while playing. but it's not like i'm playing on my lap and it has never bothered me, not at least after 2-3 hours of play play straight through. the machine is rock solid, if that is what you are asking. hasn't crashed/overheated or done anything weird on me yet, and i expect that if anything does, applecare will take care of it for me as it has in the past.

 

[Ns1]

the fan gets loud, but i don't know the actual temperature it hits while playing. but it's not like i'm playing on my lap and it has never bothered me, not at least after 2-3 hours of play play straight through. the machine is rock solid, if that is what you are asking. hasn't crashed/overheated or done anything weird on me yet, and i expect that if anything does, applecare will take care of it for me as it has in the past.

thanks. my #1 worry is too much heat fucking up a 1k machine.

 

[CptObvious]

I have a 4 year old white Macbook that I don't plan to replace until it breaks down. My order of preference for a replacement would be:

1. 13" Macbook Pro
2. 21.5" iMac
3. Mac mini

I personally think #1 and 2 at ~$1200 are Apple's best bang for the buck. I paid ~$950 for my Macbook and am pleased with how long it's lasted (including 2 years overseas) with only having to replace the battery last year.

 

[Emulex]

i have a few mac's for sale.

13" unibody (6gb of ram max, cheap to install, easy, battery replacable (Cheap), hard drive replaceable to ssd, hard drove cheap to optical drive bay.

you get more storage and repair options and a fraction of the cost. if you want to make it lighter just mill down the aluminum hone it

you can get some heckuva good deals on used ones and pump them up. i guarantee a macbook unibody with 6gb of ram and a ssd will smoke any macbook air for less money !!

check this out i bet a macbook first C2D with 3gb of ram and a hot SSD would keep up with the best macbook air out there. for 50% of the cost !!

if you go new - make sure you buy applecare ($249-349) and the ethernet adapter and remote control and you'll see how they truly nickel and dime you nowadays!

otherwise skip the 15" and go to the 17" the screen is awesome.