Sometimes its just nice to get something new.
The big boss and I had been talking for a while about getting a new computer for home. The last one we purchased was a white MacBook Core Duo (2GHz with 1GB of RAM) The ram has been maxed out at 2GB a few years ago and I beat the hell out of that thing. Its been through major development projects over its 4 year lifespan.
What to get?
We’re a Mac shop in this household. No, I’m not some zealous nut but I’m a fan of the simplistic design. The thing that appeals to me most about a Mac is that it is UNIX under the hood. Unix is what provides food on my table so having a unix workstation with a nice interface is an extra bonus.
So our choices were going to be something coming with an Apple logo on it. Do you go with a new MacBook Pro and all its power and new hotness? For what I would want, it would be around $1500. Not bad, but… I could get something better that we BOTH could enjoy.
We mainly use our current laptop for surfing the web and checking email while sitting on the couch. When my wife goes to bed, I develop on it down in my office. Surfing the web and checking email from the couch? Sounds like a perfect job for the brand new iPad! But the development side is still missing. Sure I could just replace the iPad and still use the laptop for development. But as I mentioned, I beat the HELL out of that laptop. It doesn’t take long for me to burn through that 2GB of ram.
The Solution
iPad2 for the main web surfing and email checking from the couch. All the other apps just make it super sweet. I ordered mine online and it will ship in 2-3 weeks.
For a development box, a new mac mini. The form factor is small but still provides enough power to get me through what I need to do. I went with the dual core 2.4GHz model and upgraded the ram to 8GB. Its getting the job done and I have yet to run it out of ram with various tasks.
Both devices combined came out to what a new MacBook Pro would run me. In the end, I think I made both of us happy while staying somewhat budget friendly. Its been 4 years so it was about time to spend a little cash.