Bought iPad 64GB. Also have MBP & Mac Mini. Keep or sell Mac Mini?

[katyoshi]

Hello everyone,
I'll give a brief glimpse of me. Graduate nursing student going for masters, living at home, work as a graduate assistant while going school full-time. New to Mac since late-2009. Bought a 15" 2.66gHz MBP in late 2009 with 24" apple cinema display, bluetooth keyboard, mighty mouse. December 2009, bought new Mac Mini 2.53gHz, magic mouse.

Main use of computers: school, work, calendar, internet, documents, keynote presentations. Not much gaming yet until starcraft 3 comes out. I have a new PS3 I got from Christmas 2009 for all my games right now though.

Now my thinking is, should I keep or sell my mac mini and make my MBP my main workhorse and use my iPad also as a supplement to my productivity/entertainment? I plan to keep the 24" ACD to use with my MBP though. How many of you are in this situation? I'm at home majority of the time doing my homework, reading, browsing web, etc. I use to go starbucks a lot during undergrad study but not much recently since there are lots of church groups having small group session and there is plenty of noise there. Reason why I ask this also is, it seems that I've been using my desktop a lot more than my laptop now days. If I get rid of my desktop, then I could focus on one computer...or this is wrong thinking?

 

[CJS7070]

If you don't use your mini much, by all means sell it, you can always hook up an external monitor to the MBP.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Mini makes a great media center. Hook it up to your TV or AV rec. & you can stream Hulu etc on tv & watch itms rentals, & all the front row goodness.

 

[pukifloyd]

sell it...maybe it'll cover some cost of the ipad...

cheers

 

[xraydoc]

Sounds like your MBP makes a pretty good desktop for you.
So unless you need a desktop running 24/7 at home, sounds to me you could do without the Mac mini.

For me, I've got a desktop, a laptop and the iPad, and I think I need all 3. The laptop is actually my main work machine and the desktop mostly does server duty lately (iTunes/media for the Apple TVs and Airport Express speakers in the house, does MobileMe-Google back and forth synchronization, acts as the family wireless printer server, etc.)

 

[brooks.curly]

Keep the Mac mini, sell the MacBook Pro, and take your iPad with you for mobile browsing and such. If you need lots of power on the go, sell the Mac mini I guess. I just don't see the good of having both a MacBook Pro and an iPad. Will you be lugging both around?

 

[poe8]

I think a lot of people have the same type of dilemma with their iPad taking over certain browsing activities. I have my Dell work laptop which I am stuck with, a MBP for my personal use as a desktop hooked up to an apple display, and my iPad for browsing. I also have an iPhone, but I think my setup is pretty much maxed out. Another laptop or pc would be overkill. I would sell the mini, your MBP could serve dual purposes as a desktop.

 

[GraphicsGeek]

I was kind of in a similar situation. I had a 17" MacBook pro hooked up to a 24" LCD as my workhorse/graphic design computer. I never took it anywhere. I used hackintosh Dell mini 10 as my couch surfer/ travel computer. I also have an iPhone. I started to realize that if I wasn't using the MacBook pro as a laptop, what's the point of having a laptop? After some ebay research I realized I could sell my MBP and buy a better spec'd 2009 refurbed Imac and make a $500 profit. Guess what I bought with my $500 profit? Now I just need to sell the LCD and hackintosh and make an even better profit.

What Im trying ton say is that you don't seem to be using your macbook pro for anything your Mac mini can't handle. So sell that and use your mini as your primary desktop and your iPad as your couch surfer. Then spend the profit on apps...

 

[katyoshi]

Thanks everyone for your responses. My first thought was also that I was going to "miss" my mac mini. Another thought also was to offer my Mac Mini as a family computer. It's just me, mom, and sister living in the home. Hopefully my gf will move in some day soon after she finds a registered nurse job in this bad economy. Anyway, if I offer my mac mini to my family and especially my mom (who has a crappy slow now, 2003 celeron Windows XP, Samsung laptop she bought when we were in Korea thinking she got a good deal; startup takes 3 minutes!) who recently begun to use the computer more often for emails and such, I was going to offer the Mac Mini+mighty mouse only and keep my monitor, bluetooth keyboard, magic mouse for my mbp use. Would this be a better idea? Haha...also since mother's day is coming up!

 

[BeachChair]

Keep the Mini, put AirVideo on your ipad, and stream your movies from the mini.

 

[ukyo229]

WTF! you gotta ask advice for this type of thing on a forum? a bloody forum!

sell them all, and go read some self-help books.

 

[sibruk]

Mini makes a great media center. Hook it up to your TV or AV rec. & you can stream Hulu etc on tv & watch itms rentals, & all the front row goodness.

I'm with Chupa Chupa. Media Center connected up to a flat screen TV. But I would choose a combination of Plex/Boxee and EyeTV for all your televisual goodness.

 

[OpenThirdeye]

WTF! you gotta ask advice for this type of thing on a forum? a bloody forum!

sell them all, and go read some self-help books.

Somebody needs a nap...

 

[DHart]

For a time I used a MacBook to drive a desktop monitor, but I grew tired of the constant plugging in/hooking up, external monitor, drives, keyboard, etc. and unhooking. So I bought a MacMini to permanently drive my desktop monitor. But spending hours at the desktop becomes tedious, so having the untethered MacBook to continue my work in more comfortable seating areas without having to constantly do a lot of connecting and disconnecting was wonderful.

Now my MacBook is free to remain untethered permanently and reside by the bed most of the time... or used on the recliner, sofa, or offsite.

If I added an iPad to this scenario, I would not sell the MacMini nor the MacBook as the iPad at this point is primarily a consumption device and not great at vigorous content creation. While it does do some content creation, from what I'm reading here it does so in something of a crippled manner. Consider the iPad for only the basic content creation work, nothing beyond fairly basic stuff.

I would want to keep the MacMini to retain the permanent desktop workstation where the large display, full keyboard, mouse, tablet, etc. make a great workstation, AND keep the MacBook to allow full and easy content creation when you tire of sitting at the desk, useable where ever and whenever desired (at the kitchen table, in a recliner, on the sofa, in bed, or out and about.) And I would use the iPad for casual web surfing, some e-mail activity, as an electronic picture frame, games & apps, etc.

If you want to do unlimited mobile content creation with ease, you should not expect the iPad to fulfill that function... keep the MacBook for full power content creating ability.

 

[gwynne]

Mini makes a great media center. Hook it up to your TV or AV rec. & you can stream Hulu etc on tv & watch itms rentals, & all the front row goodness.

This. Plus consider other 'server' niches it could fill. For example run a web proxy on it to filter the ads out of safari on your iPad.

 

[katyoshi]

For a time I used a MacBook to drive a desktop monitor, but I grew tired of the constant plugging in/hooking up, external monitor, drives, keyboard, etc. and unhooking. So I bought a MacMini to permanently drive my desktop monitor. But spending hours at the desktop becomes tedious, so having the untethered MacBook to continue my work in more comfortable seating areas without having to constantly do a lot of connecting and disconnecting was wonderful.

Now my MacBook is free to remain untethered permanently and reside by the bed most of the time... or used on the recliner, sofa, or offsite.

If I added an iPad to this scenario, I would not sell the MacMini nor the MacBook as the iPad at this point is primarily a consumption device and not great at vigorous content creation. While it does do some content creation, from what I'm reading here it does so in something of a crippled manner. Consider the iPad for only the basic content creation work, nothing beyond fairly basic stuff.

I would want to keep the MacMini to retain the permanent desktop workstation where the large display, full keyboard, mouse, tablet, etc. make a great workstation, AND keep the MacBook to allow full and easy content creation when you tire of sitting at the desk, useable where ever and whenever desired (at the kitchen table, in a recliner, on the sofa, in bed, or out and about.) And I would use the iPad for casual web surfing, some e-mail activity, as an electronic picture frame, games & apps, etc.

If you want to do unlimited mobile content creation with ease, you should not expect the iPad to fulfill that function... keep the MacBook for full power content creating ability.

Thanks for the great guided imagery! I now decided to keep my Mac mini in my room and use it as a hardcore study workstation. While using my MBP as a mobile around the home, starbucks, school, couch, etc workstation if I don't want to be in my room all day. The iPad will be a light work utility and mainly as entertainment and book reader, internet, email, the basic stuff when I'm mobile. I guess I have best of all worlds in addition to my iPhone 3GS.

 

[dino26]

Thanks for the great guided imagery! I now decided to keep my Mac mini in my room and use it as a hardcore study workstation. While using my MBP as a mobile around the home, starbucks, school, couch, etc workstation if I don't want to be in my room all day. The iPad will be a light work utility and mainly as entertainment and book reader, internet, email, the basic stuff when I'm mobile. I guess I have best of all worlds in addition to my iPhone 3GS.

Sounds good to me

 

[undrpsi]

Mini makes a great media center. Hook it up to your TV or AV rec. & you can stream Hulu etc on tv & watch itms rentals, & all the front row goodness.

+1
Helped a friend set one up on his LCD in his den (42"? bigger I think) and he loves it. BT keyboard and mouse and you can use it as a giant monitor on the internet too. I was thinking of find one cheap to do it myself...can't find one cheap enough to justify it though.

 

[DHart]

Thanks for the great guided imagery! I now decided to keep my Mac mini in my room and use it as a hardcore study workstation. While using my MBP as a mobile around the home, starbucks, school, couch, etc workstation if I don't want to be in my room all day. The iPad will be a light work utility and mainly as entertainment and book reader, internet, email, the basic stuff when I'm mobile. I guess I have best of all worlds in addition to my iPhone 3GS.

I'm glad it is helpful. There really are so many days when I just can't sit at the desk any longer, but I still want to work... that's where having the MB/MBP is so priceless... if you get one of those lapdesk surfaces, just big enough for a Targus laptop stand and a mouse pad, you can sit in a recliner, on a sofa, or in bed and continue your work in great comfort. I even use a Wacom Bamboo tablet next to the MBP on the lapdesk and I can do digital editing from a very comfy spot for hours.

http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.aspx?sku=PA241U

(Check out their "All Purpose" lapdesk)
http://www.lapdesk.com

This way, and with the iPad and your iPhone, as you say, you've got the best of all worlds! It is so worth having a dedicated desktop system with a 24" display as well as a MacBook Pro AND an iPad. They each serve totally different applications that none of the other two can do.

 

[mrklaw]

Keep the Mac mini, sell the MacBook Pro, and take your iPad with you for mobile browsing and such. If you need lots of power on the go, sell the Mac mini I guess. I just don't see the good of having both a MacBook Pro and an iPad. Will you be lugging both around?

this is my plan. My mini is too good as a plex front end and 24/7 sabnzbd+ client.

 

[mrklaw]

Now my MacBook is free to remain untethered permanently and reside by the bed most of the time... or used on the recliner, sofa, or offsite.

I would want to keep the MacMini to retain the permanent desktop workstation where the large display, full keyboard, mouse, tablet, etc. make a great workstation, AND keep the MacBook to allow full and easy content creation when you tire of sitting at the desk, useable where ever and whenever desired (at the kitchen table, in a recliner, on the sofa, in bed, or out and about.) And I would use the iPad for casual web surfing, some e-mail activity, as an electronic picture frame, games & apps, etc.

truthfully, how much 'content creation' do you do in bed, on the sofa etc? Thats the real decider. If the answer is 'not much, really its just browsing' then you can easily swap that out for an ipad. If its 'lots' then you keep the laptop.

 

[Xybr]

I have an iMac, MacBook Pro, and will also be getting an iPad 3G. My iMac is able to stay on 24/7 and can download new podcasts and videos to sync to my iPhone when I get home so I have something to listen to on the way to work.

I don't see why the Mac mini has to absolutely go unless you're needing to recover the money spent on the iPad. If you're not using it much, attaching it to the HDTV to serve as an Apple TV-like device is not a bad idea. Especially since Perian lets Front Row play other file formats.

 

[DHart]

truthfully, how much 'content creation' do you do in bed, on the sofa etc? Thats the real decider. If the answer is 'not much, really its just browsing' then you can easily swap that out for an ipad. If its 'lots' then you keep the laptop.

I happen to be one of those who typically uses computers for content creation (which also includes financial data entry)... not just for web surfing, Facebook, and e-mail.

It doesn't have to even be "lots" of content creation (or data input) to require the use of a full featured computer... when I want to do a little input to QuickBooks or a little editing with Lightroom, some touch ups with Photoshop, the occasional tweaks to some of my movies in Final Cut Pro... I need a real computer and don't HAVE to be sitting at a desk to do so if I have a MacBook Pro as well.

Today and tomorrow I'm inputting a lot of my business data into QuickBooks to get ready for my accountant to do my taxes. There's no way I'm going to sit at my desk all day long for two days doing this! I'll be in my recliner, feet up, very comfortable... entering the data to QuickBooks on my MacBook Pro.

As cool, attractive and fun as the iPad is, its simply no where near designed to be a full fledged computer. It's primarily for consuming content. Anyone with any type of significant inputting or content creation work is not going to be giving up their full functioning computer for an iPad.