I am in the market for a new laptop and I have been reading up on laptops here for the last couple of days and to be honest I am just as confused now as I was when I started...
Here's my situation: I am a professional graphic/web designer and I already have a mac pro 2 x 2.8 with 10GB Ram, 2TB storage and a 23" ACD in the Office. I tend to work a lot of late nights, but as we have just had a new baby, my wife is starting to insist I spend more time at home in the evenings...
So - I need a laptop so I can work at home too. I'll be lugging the laptop on my 10 min walk to the office and back every day. I have a budget of about £1000. I have been looking at:
• Low end unibody MBP
• Classic 2.4/200 MBP
• 1.6 R2 MBA
In an ideal world, what I want is a 14" MBA with a 9600 graphics card, firewire, 4GB RAM and a matte screen - but that doesn't exist!
Therefore I am looking at the pros and cons of each option that does exist...
• Low end Unibody:
Pros: current, fast, powerful, firewire, big screen, good graphics, new display connector
Cons: a bit over budget (but possible), glossy screen, heavy to lug about
• classic MBP 2.4/200
Pros: on budget (about £850), OK graphics (capability), 2 x firewire, big MATTE screen.
Cons: Time bomb graphics card, old style, can't connect to new 24" display (and possibly new ACD's when they come out), heavy to lug about.
• MBA 1.6 R2
Pros: current, on budget (about £950) Gorgeous, Light, new display connector - did I mention it's gorgeous?
Cons: less powerful (but powerful enough as 2nd machine?), 2GB RAM limit, no FW (but I have that on mac pro), smaller glossy screen (but again maybe OK as I also have 23" cinema in the office)
So all these things keep going round in my head - no machine is perfect and each has pros and cons...
So Can anyone help me decide? particularly interested to hear from any pro graphic designers in a similar situation (already had mac pro and bought a laptop).
I was swinging more to the Classic MBP (mainly due to cost and matte screen) but I am worried that moving forward it may soon be made obsolete by its inabilty to connect to apples new generation of screens...
but I am also very tempted by the MBA as I am a sucker for beautiful things...but maybe the I will wish I had got a MBP for the power...
there - I have come full circle and back where I started - you see the problem...
please help....
thanks
Here's my situation: I am a professional graphic/web designer and I already have a mac pro 2 x 2.8 with 10GB Ram, 2TB storage and a 23" ACD in the Office. I tend to work a lot of late nights, but as we have just had a new baby, my wife is starting to insist I spend more time at home in the evenings...
So - I need a laptop so I can work at home too. I'll be lugging the laptop on my 10 min walk to the office and back every day. I have a budget of about £1000. I have been looking at:
• Low end unibody MBP
• Classic 2.4/200 MBP
• 1.6 R2 MBA
In an ideal world, what I want is a 14" MBA with a 9600 graphics card, firewire, 4GB RAM and a matte screen - but that doesn't exist!
Therefore I am looking at the pros and cons of each option that does exist...
• Low end Unibody:
Pros: current, fast, powerful, firewire, big screen, good graphics, new display connector
Cons: a bit over budget (but possible), glossy screen, heavy to lug about
• classic MBP 2.4/200
Pros: on budget (about £850), OK graphics (capability), 2 x firewire, big MATTE screen.
Cons: Time bomb graphics card, old style, can't connect to new 24" display (and possibly new ACD's when they come out), heavy to lug about.
• MBA 1.6 R2
Pros: current, on budget (about £950) Gorgeous, Light, new display connector - did I mention it's gorgeous?
Cons: less powerful (but powerful enough as 2nd machine?), 2GB RAM limit, no FW (but I have that on mac pro), smaller glossy screen (but again maybe OK as I also have 23" cinema in the office)
So all these things keep going round in my head - no machine is perfect and each has pros and cons...
So Can anyone help me decide? particularly interested to hear from any pro graphic designers in a similar situation (already had mac pro and bought a laptop).
I was swinging more to the Classic MBP (mainly due to cost and matte screen) but I am worried that moving forward it may soon be made obsolete by its inabilty to connect to apples new generation of screens...
but I am also very tempted by the MBA as I am a sucker for beautiful things...but maybe the I will wish I had got a MBP for the power...
there - I have come full circle and back where I started - you see the problem...
please help....
thanks