One Mac or two?
March 25th, 2008 at 9:31 p.m.
You’re out with a group of geeks. Maybe it’s SXSW, maybe it’s at a bar after Refresh, maybe it’s a few people out enjoying a baseball game on a beautiful spring day. Okay, that’s going a bit too far, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen geeks out enjoying a sporting event that isn’t bowling. But you’re out, and you’re talking about something blasé like domestic politics or the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, but inevitably the subject turns to Apple. You start discussing MacBook Pro specs, the new MacBook Air or Cinema display screen sizes. White whine and Stuff White People Like would be so proud. Eventually this discussing leads to that sticky area, no not PCs vs. Macs, no, it’s should you have one Mac or two?
It’s been going on for a long time—people discussing their current setups. Some are enjoying an iMac and a MacBook. Some stick with a Mac Pro and now the Air, and others love the simplicity of their one computer setup of MacBook Pro throw in a Cinema display if you’ve got the extra cash. The combinations seem pretty endless, but what I’ve learned from these conversations is: there really is no “correct configuration”, but that’s never stopped a serious Mac nerd from debating it.
Over the past year and a half or so, I’ve been happy with the configuration I have: a MacBook at work, an iMac at home. I like having the solid “base machine” and the laptop is great for work and allows me to travel lightly. Then, a few months back, work bought me a beautiful 24” iMac, so I took my MacBook home, using it and my iMac there with the beautiful beast sitting on my desk at work.
The setup works just fine, but after a few months of being not quite synced up, I realize three Macs are just way too many, and after some internal debate, I’m selling the MacBook and iMac, in favor of MacBook Pro at home.
I’ve pretty much made up my mind, but I’m curious what configurations everyone else out there is running and why? What’s your setup and why do you love it?
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Working the three-computer set-up myself and I’m not a fan. I think you’ve got the right idea with the MacBook Pro for home. It’s big enough (processing-wise) to be a great home base, but it’s still a laptop and travels well.
Plus, they can drive the Cinema Displays. Right? (:
My answer is not One or Two, but Three.
The setup I have at home is this: a MacBook Pro (Rev A) as my powerhouse and everyday machine hooked up to a 24” Dell LCD and sitting on an iCurve, a Mac Mini (latest release) hooked up to the same Dell LCD (on the VGA input) which serves as a place to store photos, music and movies/TV shows (and currently isn’t synching any of that material, but should be soon), and lastly my Mac Classic that sits quietly (only because it’s rarely turned on) on my bookshelf next to my desk.
Honestly though, I could easily deal with just the MacBook Pro at this point. It makes a great portable workhorse as well as a great desktop machine when hooked up to a large LCD. I like having the Mac Mini for all that other stuff that I don’t need to bog my laptop down with though (plus the drive in my MBP isn’t very large).
If I were you, I’d go with just the MBP. I did for 2 years and it worked out great for me.
To me, the key to a happy multi-Mac life is keeping the core purposes of each machine separate.
As you know, I have an iMac at home and a MacBook for work. I generally use them as such: my “home stuff” is on my iMac. That includes music, photos, movies, and porn. Err, no, not porn. Gross!
My “work stuff” is on my MacBook. That includes the Adobe suite, TextMate, my local Django/Python development environment, all my fonts, ExpanDrive, etc.
There are some things that .Mac and other technologies do a beautiful job of keeping in sync: mail, chat buddy lists, iCal, etc. But my music, photos, movies, etc are never going to be easy to keep in sync (plus, I just can’t fit them on my laptop’s drive. My development enviroment, fonts, TextMate configuration, Photoshop brushes, etc. aren’t going to be easy to sync, either. So, I basically only do a given task on one machine or the other.
The killer piece of the equation that makes this possible is my iPhone. It lets me take at least some of that “home stuff” with me to work — if I want to listen to tunes, I can.
In the parlance of 2007, “that’s how I roll.”
I feel your pain man. There’s a definite intangible value to having just one computer to maintain! Syncing is better but it’s not there.
I’ve done the 17” laptop thing before (back when they were called powerbooks). I’ve also used for a good long while the 15” MacBook Pro, which is a killer machine. If there’s a sweet spot for power users who need to be portable, that’s it.
These days I’m using 2 computers. Mac Pro on the desktop, and Macbook Air for anything portable (including couch, kitchen table, bed, etc.). My thinking was that for at least 90% of my computer usage, I wasn’t going to care if my computer was portable, so why make the performance compromise when I’m at my desk?
I could get the most kick-butt MacBook pro I could find, and it would be crazy expensive, and still not be quite as powerful as the high end iMac, not to mention the Mac Pro. Add to that that anytime I’m away from my desk, I’d have the heaviest laptop Apple sells sitting in my bag.
I guess I was ready for a change. I wanted a desktop computer that could grow with me, not a laptop I’d have to max out and then lust for more when the next sweet revision comes out. This way I can always throw more ram at the mac pro, and not really mind that my laptop is underpowered, since I only use it for those times when I’m either not working or traveling.
That’s just me though, who knows, maybe in a few years my internal pendulum will swing me back to macbook pro realm.
I started out as a hardcore desktop machine person. I always bought desktops because I was always at a desk when I was working. Then the Macbook Pro came out. I waited, quoting that I’m not a Rev A type of guy (except with the iPhone).
After spending two months with a friend that was “strictly mobile” I was won over. The day the Rev B Macbook Pro was announced I ordered one. I already had the Cinema display from my desktop and, when it’s actually turned on, I just run it headless as a file server — or super cautious backup machine, just in case I didn’t move something important over.
I’ve been using my Macbook Pro as my main machine for almost a year now. At work I have a Mac Pro and I use my notebook as my music machine while I’m at work. Recently I’ve been wondering about getting a Macbook Air and just leaving my Macbook Pro at home, but I think I’ll wait for at least Rev B, maybe Rev C.
1 macbook pro goes with me to work and home.. 1 iphone does everything else. I rocked SXSW with just iphone.. did just fine.
At home I have a 24” iMac with a 23” cinema display, which I thoroughly enjoy as a designer. At work I have a MacBook that hooks up to a 24” Dell display. I run the MacBook closed, so no dual display action.
I purchased my iMac recently, and I’ve been happy with the iMac/MacBook combination. I think the MacBook barely cuts it as a work horse though, but makes a great traveling companion no less.
I feel your pain with the syncing problems. .Mac sounds good in theory, but it has some issues with syncing. I couldn’t imagine how I would get three macs synced, two is painful enough.
So in conclusion, I like the two computer combo. Obviously a bit more pricier than getting a MacBook Pro, but I think with a laptop/desktop combo you get the best of both worlds.
I’m all about one ring to rule them all, uh I mean one machine. I went with a laptop years ago and loved it. Recently though I’ve need a little more and while I’ve contemplated an iMac I’ve never liked the idea of being strapped to a desk at home. Turns out what I really need is an external monitor, again.
Now on contemplating another MacBook or MacBookPro.
@Patrick Haney Love the Mac Classic and the toasters!
@Jeff Croft Yeah, I agree trying to pin a role to each computer is the best route to take. With my iMac as my work machine though I want to have a lot of “work” applications available at home. I don’t want to have to come into work on Fridays unless I have to!
I have the work applications I need now on my iMac at home, but often I find myself on my couch like I am now, and I want to do a bit of work but don’t have that one application I need installed on my laptop. That and the syncing between the three through .Mac hasn’t been as smooth as I was hoping.
@Brian Warren Yep, totally with you on the pendulum. This isn’t the first time I’ve found myself changing my mind on what configuration would work best.
@joshua strebel Can’t believe I left out the iPhone! The .5 computer. It’s like the .2 in the 2.2 children.
Apple IIe in the breakfast nook for recipes and diary entries. Performa 630 with CD-ROM for interactive learning and (the occasional! LOL!) next generation game for the kids. 20th Anniversary Mac in the bedroom for “setting the mood” with the missus.
I have a PowerBook 1400 that I use for occasional “web” surfing, but it’s really sort of a hassle since I have to stretch the phone line all the way from the kitchen to get on AOL.
Ahh iMac + display at work and macbook pro always. Now I use Synergy* so I can use the iMac keyboard and mouse and switch between iMac and MB pro on a stand.
Remember when everyone would write their specs in their signature…
*http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/
I’ve always been a huge proponent of simplicity with my computing experiences. I know that there is a myriad of software solutions out there to keep everything in sync, but I’ve never wanted to mess with it and have never seen the need to.
I went 100% mobile and 100% one-mac-only 5 years ago when the 12” PowerBook was introduced and have never looked back. Apple has done a fairly good job in my opinion of keeping their hardware fast enough for this. Web development and graphic design are not exactly “taxing” on a machine so their pro line of notebooks has always been sufficient, especially as of late.
The only complaint I’ve ever had about this setup is the lack of screen real estate. My 12” was 1024, and then when I graduated to a 15” it was only 1280. They’re 1440 now but that’s still quite chunky and lax on real estate for me. I really prefer high DPI displays. I solved this in the past with just having an external monitor wherever I go … but even that was breaking my mantra of simplicity, having to rearrange my workspace for different resolutions all the time … I’m just crazy OCD like that.
Then a couple months ago Apple solved all my problems and started offering a 1920 display on their 17” pro notebook. Not only is it incredible to have 1920 native on a mobile machine but the high DPI makes the interface and anything graphic look incredibly crisp and beautiful. Looking at sub 100DPI displays just looks goofy to me now.
The 17” is larger and a bit heavier, but Apple had already solved this with the iPhone. I used to take my computer pretty much everywhere with me … now I don’t take it hardly anywhere, unless I specifically need it for something. The iPhone has anything and everything I usually need on the road. So my setup has turned out to be perfect for me: A portable desktop that allows me to work from anywhere but has plenty of power and screen real estate. Not having to manage multiple machines. And the internet in my pocket when I’m out. Perfect :)
Um, I have 3 PCs, a desktop at work, and a desktop and laptop at home. And I love going to baseball games for that matter.
As a faithful Mac user, the general idea of having so many Macs plays music to my ears but the logistics aspect of having them all sync (depending on what you utilize them for) can be a pain at times.
I simply have a 15” MBP as my main computer but set up as a desktop (iCurve, keyboard and mouse). Adjacent to that I have a 20” Apple Cinema Display which I use more for coding and/or photography. If the time comes when I have to commute with the laptop, then there’s no problem in simply unplugging cables and off we go.
@jimray I expect pictures of your setup on Flickr shortly. Your story reminds me of this gem.
@Morgan I love baseball too, but you know, it usually involves sun and doesn’t incorporate many screens.
iMac running Vista for me! ;) No seriously, just the iMac at home with both Leopard and Vista, and a MacBook at the office.
I’m rockin’ a single 15” MacBook Pro these days (I gave my black MacBook to the wife) I separate home and work (sorta) by having TWO user accounts. One account has all the stuff I use at home and the other account is loaded up with the tools I need at work. When I work from home, Fast User Switching is one way for me to go back and forth with little effort. And, of course, the MBP can drive my 23” Cinema Display at work which I use for my main workspace and use the laptop screnn for communications (email, IM, Twitter, etc.)
@jcroft That’s how I roll! :-)
I tried to work only with a notebook for a long time - about 2 years now. And I have to admit that it is, well, okay…
But I miss some comfort. 1) some real cpu power. My HP/Compaq NX7000 is not the newest model anymore 2) without a second display it would not be possible to work this way. Sometimes I just need a documentation or preview and a editor and I prefer to have both full screen and I hate to switch applications 3) too much wires,…
So for me it is time to change my setup and it looks like I found a solution that works - at least I hope so, but I’ll see when they arrive. 24” iMac and a MacBook Air. Power + pure mobility. I don’t need a lot of CPU power while working on my notebook. TextMate, Safari, iChat and a feed reader is everything I need, but I don’t want to carry a heavy MBP with me so there is only a MacBook or a MacBook Air - and I see no disadvantage in a Air.
Looking back at the last 2 years I did the wrong decision to work with a notebook only. There is no real comfort. Always unplugging it, heavy notebook in my bag, no real desktop, a nearly good notebook, just nothing great.
Syncing is no issue for me. Video, audio, photos stay (will stay) on my iMac. Projects are checked in a mercurial repo. so it’s easy to keep everything in sync (to be honest I don’t need something else than my projects on my notebook)
15” Macbook Pro (my everything/everyday laptop) 17” Toshiba Qosmio — When I need Windows instead of using Boot Camp And I have a custom built pc that I use for gaming.