I have around $3000 to spend on a new setup and I can't decide if I should get a base mba with an imac or a tricked out 15" mbp. I want to be mobile but I also need power the mbp is so heavy is you have to cary it around for a whole day. I rely want to wait to Mac World 09 but my 02 powerbook is a piece of ****. Just throwing this idea out there to all potential mba buyers think about getting another netbook, such as an Eee PC, and just hacking in leopard the hardware isn't as nice but it get the Mobil job done at a very low cost. An help is greatly appreciated.
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I am torn between the mba and mbp
- Thread starter bushman1
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if i had the $3k i would get the imac and the MBA
having the screen real-estate for working would be nice and then you have one of the best mobile notebooks on the market.
having the screen real-estate for working would be nice and then you have one of the best mobile notebooks on the market.
I use iMacs at home (2 of them) and an MBA on the road. I had the original MBA (1.8ghz 64GB SSD), and now I'm using the new MBA (1.86ghz 128GB SSD). It's a good setup if you have the money, have the machine at home for the heavy lifting and a light weight travel companion for the road.
I never would recommend the MBA as your only computer, but as a second computer it is an outstanding machine.
I never would recommend the MBA as your only computer, but as a second computer it is an outstanding machine.
Get the air first so that you have something to use and then wait for macworld in january and get the updated imac 
imo
imo
I agree with above. Get a regular desktop like the 24 inch screen iMac and the Air. Sort of like having a Road Bike and a Mountain Bike instead of having a Hybrid Bike that tries to do both.
Is the $1599 Aluminum MacBook not an option? You can upgrade it to 4GB RAM and do pretty much everything you need to do on an iMac on it, and still have much more portability than the MBP....and save $1000. You could get the top of the line MacBook w/ 4GB RAM & a new 24" Cinema Display for essentially the price of the high end macBook Air. Just makes more sense to me
A $3000 budget would get the base MBP and the 24" display that is coming in a couple of weeks. You can add extra RAM with the rebate if you buy from macmall.
Get the air first so that you have something to use and then wait for macworld in january and get the updated imac
there won't be updated Air in January, so why wait?
I would go with the MBA and iMac. There isn't really that much that you can't reasonably do on a MBA on a daily basis. I love that I can throw it in my backpack and hardly tell it is even in there. I have a desktop for the things that I would rather not do on the MBA, but I honestly rarely use it anymore. You would think that the difference in size is relatively small, but comparing and using my MBA with friends' MacBooks, it is actually a huge difference.
Totally agree with this. iMacs are good computers, but they are basically laptop hardware with a screen you can't upgrade. I would get one good laptop and an external monitor...or just one good laptop.
What do you use the computer for? Odd that no one would ask. I mean the MBA is nice but maybe you are a videographer. Or maybe you are in sales and need to make presentations. What to buy depends on what software you use and the size of the data you work with.
No one can give informed advice without knowing what you do with the computer(s)
Most of the other posters seem to be in agreement that a combination of iMac and MBA would meet all of your needs; I'd argue that a refurb MBP and MBA would do much the same. The MBA is superb as a second computer, though I'd hardly recommend it as your only computer. If you are confining yourself to one computer, go with the MBP, which is portable, just not as handily portable as the MBA.
Cheers
Cheers
i don't really have enough info on what you need your computers for, but i would get a macbook pro and an external monitor and save money. like the other poster said, the imac is basically a laptop with a large screen. out of the options you gave though, i would get the imac and the air combo. the air's are getting better as primary computers after the recent upgrades.
Well, if you think the MBP is too heavy to carry around with you all day, day in and day out, then it sounds like you have your mind made up on a MBA.
Otherwise, the MBP is just about as powerful as the iMac, plus you can take that power with you wherever you go, so my vote is for the MBP. I am mostly a desktop user, but replaced my 2.0GHz 17" iMac with one of the 2.5GHz MBP at a huge discount through Amazon. I also picked up an external FW 800 hard drive to give me a huge amount of wickedly fast storage when working at my desk.
Having two computers means a bunch of file copying and more hassle keeping up with everything, so I'd say go with one computer if you can live with the 5LB weight of the MBP.
+1
Go for the Macbook , it's not as heavy as the MBP and more powerful than the MBA so go with the Macbook with the iMac,..... as the guy above says , you can do most everything you can do on an iMac on a Macbook .
This set up should cover you for anything thrown at it
Atleast someone agrees with me. I mean I know this is the Air forum, but still....logically and economically speaking.....the $1599 MacBook + 4GB RAM and the 24" Cinema Display hooked up to it makes alot more sense than an iMac + Air....
I do a lot of media and internet, also some photoshop. My biggest concerns are if the mba has enough battery to last a day, how long do other people get on their batteries. My second concern is if the iMac will have enough processing power to power my multi-touch table(to be in about 3 weeks, i will post picks.), currently I run it off my PS3 in linux. It has to run video processing at 60fps and drive a projector and other various hardware components. My third thought is to want until macworld because if by the off chance apple make a tablet it would take that 10x over a mba. The mbp is a great computer however it is very heavy and large but gets the power. The macbook is fine but I rely can't use it for any of my tasks. The biggest concern about the air I have is if i will ever move it off my desk, I might take it to school a few times but I don't know if I rely will take it.
