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I'm in need of a new computer as my current Dell P4 desktop is getting on a bit (still rockin' XP!).... and my Lenovo laptop is also slowing a bit (fresh install of Window 10) and my daughter has her eye on it too....
So I'm thinking of 'going Mac' - I got the wife a MacBook Air last year and I've been seriously impressed with it. Battery life is brilliant, it's quick and it just seems to work.
So, do I go for:
A - Mac Mini and a decent HD monitor to replace the desktop
B - MacBook Pro as a replacement for both desktop and laptop
C - MacBook Air as I'm not sure I need all the computing power of the Pro or the retina display
I only really use my desktop to store my iTunes library and a bit of basic photo editing. The laptop gets used a bit more but for more of the same - although editing gopro footage is a bit laggy.
Thanks
Honestly? Based on your usage - iPad
Rachel
isn't photo editing a bit awkward on a tablet?
Not really - especially with iPad Pro and a pencil. Pixelmator is fab.
iMovie for video editing is weirdly quick on a modern iPad, too.
Oh - and you DO need a retina screen. Or at least you will the moment you have used one for any time.
Rachel
Well specced pc for 1/2 the price, basic photo editing is easy on pc and much cheaper than a mac that need a bunch of adapters to plug in their phone or a monitor
Photo edits are brilliant on the iPad using Lightroom. I have an Adobe CC account and so get the uprated app version free.
As for a desktop I have a 2012 Mac Mini uprated with 16GB of RAM, 500GB SSD main drive and a 2TB harddrive.
Very fast and masses of storage. Photshop is very, very fast with an SSD.
Thanks guys.
Don't want an ipad pro - I want a laptop/desktop.
Like being able to use an SD card, USB stick and CD/DVD drive.
Did think about an older Mini and maxing out the RAM and fitting an SSD.
Just been and looked at the 21.5" iMac - nice!
See if you can find a secondhand mid-2012 pro (like mine). All the ports, built in CD/DVD, 1Tb mechanical hard drive for that iTunes library and photo editing.
While I know you've mentioned a preference for a Mac an awful lot of previous Mac owners I know have been getting themselves MS Surface Pro's, so might also be worth considering one of those.
I'd go for a MacBook. Unless you need a bigger screen (and TBH with the quality of a retina display you don't need as big a screen as you might think).
Like being able to use an SD card, USB stick and CD/DVD drive.
Just get an inexpensive USB-C hub to plug in for when you need it.
If you can afford a Mac Book Pro - get a Mac Book Pro.
It will last you years and you won't regret it.
Like you I couldn't manage with an iPad - awkward to handle and compromised if you want to do proper work. And you have to hold it - a laptop just err, sits on your lap! 😀
Retina is essential IMO now. I wouldn't have a Mac without it.
If it doesn't need to be mobile the bigger screen of an iMac is nice to use.
If it doesn't need to be mobile the bigger screen of an iMac is nice to use.
And if you do need mobile and a bigger screen of an iMac, then Apple are doing a decent discount on the 4k and 5k monitors right now. I got the 5k one 😀
Just to cover all options, I'd get the Macbook Air. Lovely bits of kit, light, decent battery life, easy to carry around. The stuff you're doing, even video and photo editing is only going to primarily going to be limited by CPU and storage speed, both of which are just as swift on the Air.
I've got a Macbook Pro I use from work, monster spec, it does get roasting hot and sound like a vacuum cleaner when it's going though. I use an XPS 13 at home, which is more like the Air 12" sort of form factor. It's done photo/video editing and currently gets used most days for Zwifting.
I'd be hanging on until the Mac mini gets a refresh, it's bound to be done soon right.....
Then a good monitor
D - MS Surface Pro...?
Definitely worth a look, to compare.
I'd get the Macbook Air
The Air is way past due an update and will likely be dropped from the Apple line up fairly soon as with the MacBook and the 13" MBP in the line up it's pretty redundant.
I'd be hanging on until the Mac mini gets a refresh, it's bound to be done soon right.....
You'd hope so but I can see the iMac and the Mac Pro getting a refresh long before the Mini.
True, but only as the MacBook Pro is gradually turning into a MacBook Air 13. I'm used to Pro meaning "has a discrete graphics card", the current cheap ones just look like fat Airs 🙂
Comparing the latest Pro 13 to Air 13, the Air has a longer battery life, 20% lighter and costs £300 less for the base model. It depends what you want it for.
As I say, I went for the Dell XPS 13 personally 😛
Apple for show
PC for a pro
8)
If you can afford a Mac Book Pro - get a Mac Book Pro.It will last you years and you won't regret it.
New ones are crap, tho.
If you must, get a 2015 model.
Don't get an Air.
Like being able to use an SD card, USB stick and CD/DVD drive.
Only the very oldest MacBook Pro has a CD/DVD drive and some of the other MacBooks have no USB drive or SD card slot. Ask yourself if you really REALLY need these since it will limit your options, even with the Windows devices.
Macbook Air
Love them as I do, the screen quality looks poor compared to the Retina displays. That might not seem like a problem, but you might regret it if you ignore it.
As for photo editing on an iPad, I decided against it and got a MacBook. The main reason is that I'm well ensconced in the Mac ecosystem and use iCloud Photo Library. The Apple Photos app for iOS does not include many of the features available on the MacOS version, such as tagging. If you're managing a big library this is an important consideration.
Cheers guys.
The refurbed ones at [url= https://www.hoxtonmacs.co.uk/collections/macbook-pro-13-inch/products/macbook-pro-retina-13-inch-core-i5-2-6ghz-late-2013 ]HOXTON MACS[/url] look decent for the money.
Anyone bought off them?
Get a 2015 model from the Apple refurb store:
http://www.apple.com/uk/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
Returb prices are crazy now. Seeing as the same models were cheaper new from John Lewis just before the price hike.
Anyway, get this one:
Yeah, the refurb prices are considerably higher than the price I paid for a new one in Summer 2016.
I bought a bottom-of-the-range Macbook Pro 13" Retina screen (2.7GHz, 128GB SSD, 8GB ram), which was £999 at the time. Educational discount took that to £850. It also came with a free pair of Beats headphones, which I sold on eBay for £110.
So, a new Macbook Pro cost me £740. The new ones are double that. Double!
Mac household / fanboi/girl here ... Mac Book Pro (MBP) from 2012 and a Mini from 2009 plus phones/pads/apple tv
OP you don't need the power of a MBP or an iMac - buy those on want only (fair enough criteria but get 27 4k iMac 😉 ) ! Mini would do what you want easily, mine from 2009 handles all that and more. As noted an older one with more ram (you only need 8) and ssd would suit. Easy to add a nice 27 screen too, you soon get used to it . Then we have the Air. Possibly the best all round choice a bit light on internal storage possibly, depends if you want to backup phones/ipad.
any reason you've discounted an iMac?
Not discounted an iMac - really like the look.
Mac Mini seemed good as I could get a decent monitor and swap between mini and my work laptop.
You can plug a laptop (Mac or not) into an iMac and use the iMac as a display.
Can you still do that on the new ones? Thought it was a feature they'd removed.
The mac mini is a nice piece of kit if something with that form factor suits your needs.
If I was going with a laptop to replace both the desktop and laptop I'd still want a dock and screen for doing photo editing etc at home. Worth considering alternatives to apple - Asus Zenbook , Dell XPS, Lenovo, HP, etc
The mac mini is a nice piece of kit if something with that form factor suits your needs.
Mac Mini way past due an update. Be curious to see what, if anything, they replace it with.
If I was going with a laptop to replace both the desktop and laptop I'd still want a dock and screen for doing photo editing etc at home.
Very happy with my 13" MBP and 5k monitor. To "dock" it's just one cable to connect the monitor to the laptop. That cable does the display, charges the laptop, and connects any peripherals as the monitor is an USB-C hub. Keyboard and trackpad are wireless.
@mrblobby - sounds like a good set up.
Hoping for something similar.
MacBook Pro is looking like the best fit for what I want.
Thanks
