What Is Your Computer Match?
In the late 90’s, when Steve Jobs returned to Apple, the company had made a complete mess of it’s computer lineup. There were dozens of different models with complicating names and various confusing purposes. Among the first things Steve did to restructure the company and make it profitable was to axe a vast majority of these projects and departments. Gone went the Quadra, the Performa, The Duo and a dozen other equally unsexy named machines.
He drew a cross on the whiteboard creating four squares and said, “Here’s what we need”. On the top of the left side he wrote “Professional” on the top of the right side he wrote “Consumer”. On the left edge he wrote “laptop” and under that he wrote “desktop.” “Four machines… a professional laptop, a consumer laptop, a professional desktop and a consumer desktop. That’s it!!!”
And with that Steve Jobs simplified Apple’s game plan, and the simplicity worked. But now, 10 years later, even though Apple has maintained that simplicity, the choice of which machine to buy has gotten complicated again. Yes, there are laptops and desktops, but there are also iPads and iPhones. There are iMacs, and a slew of MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs. Portable or stationary? Screen size? Processor speed? SSD or regular HD. It seems it has gotten complex all over again.
Now, there is no true “one size fits all” policy any more, but with some basic info you can find the perfect machine for your needs.
So here’s my advice, start with the basics. What do you do? If you are in graphics, music or film production, or any other career that requires heavy lifting from your computer, you should consider a Mac tower (the MacPro) or an iMac (maxed out).
For everyone else, I recommend a laptop. The laptops of today have incredible power and speed, as well as being amongst the lightest machines ever created. The new MacBook Pro Retina has one of the most gorgeous 15’ screens ever put on ANY device, and also packs a serious power punch with a top of the line i7 processor, up to 16GB RAM, and a super-fast solid state drive.
One of the main detractions I hear about laptops is the screen size. The average user wants a huge screen for their workspace, and they don’t want to compromise by using a track pad or a laptop keyboard either. They want full functionality with a full mouse, a full sized keyboard and a large screen. The way I see it, the laptop maintains a delicate balance, screen size vs portability. The larger the screen, the more you increase the weight and in return, make the device less portable. But, there is a way to have the best of both worlds.
My preferred, and most commonly recommend setup bridges the gap between screen size and portability, by giving you both. Start with a laptop. In my opinion I prefer the 13’ models (there is no 13’ retina model yet, but it is expected to be released in October), but you would also do well with an 11’ MacBook Air, and if you insist, you could certainly go with a 15’. Then you purchase the Apple cinema Display (or another equally large, and less expensive third party monitor). You purchase a book arc for holding your laptop vertically, and a full sized keyboard and mouse (wired or wireless, your choice). Voila! You now have a fully functional powerful desktop computer that you can undock and take with you on a whim.
For me that is the ideal setup. Others just want to be as portable as possible, or have a separate machine for their travel and their home life. Whatever your needs are, at ITwithIQ we are committed to finding the right solution for you… whatever it looks like. Give us a call, and we’ll help you get set up.
Category: The Mac Whisperer
