Auggghhh. I may have to get a new computer. Mine is 6 years old, I think. A very lovable iMac that I do not want to replace. I have had macs my entire computer life. Alas, I am at a point where I cannot afford, nor does it make sense for me to have a laptop and a desktop — seems way too outdated, besides. I am really wanting a new laptopish/ipad/iphone/ipod single product to be created so I don’t have to buy 4 devices.
Unitl that arrives, I am thinking I will get a larger screen laptop only. Unfortunately, apple only makes up to a 15 inch laptop. I’m not sure how large pc’s go, but I know a 17 inch is available, which is the absolute minimum I would consider. Of course, I may luck out tomorrow when I take it to be checked and find out my oldie can be updated and cleaned out enough to function for a while longer, but the inevitatable is coming at some point.
What do others use for larger screened laptops, and what do you think of them? And if someone has other helpful suggestions, they would be welcome, too. I think in the future, I will have to have at least a smart phone (don’t even ask how old my cell phone is — at least I have one!!) and a laptop. Would like to take that into consideration.
Thanks!
Use?
What do you want to do with it? A tablet can do many things these days and you may not need a laptop yet. You would want some sort of computer to dock your tablet and transfer things, but your old iMac might be able to handle that for a while.
I kind of like a real machine to work at, and a laptop or tablet to play with during non-work times.
Check for refurbished Mac laptops at the Apple store. They are like new, and cheaper. A Macbook Air might be nice.
use
I will be getting high speed internet at my home next week (will be doing a wireless connection) and anticipate watching a lot of video, movies and TV shows mostly, as well as doing a bit of browsing. My non-internet use is very basic; mostly writing and I like to be able to put two pages side by side. I do no gaming or photoshopping, or things like that. I want to be able to use the computer in different spots – move room to room, and on the porch. I will also be traveling very occasionally and will want to be able to take it with me.
Depending on your budget...
I presume you’re taking the iMac to Brown Computers…they do a great job. If it’s only 6 years old it should have an Intel processor, which makes it very upgradable. If you can put updated OS and software into it, that would be the most bang for your buck.
If you want portability and don’t need a big screen for that purpose, the MacBook Air is fantastic and cost-effective.
Apple does make a 17 inch laptop, the MacBook Pro, which is a fabulous computer but it’ll cost you about the same as a 27 inch desktop. Plus its size kind of cuts down on its portability.
If you’re used to the user-friendliness of Apple products, trying to make the switch to a PC would probably drive you nuts. As a longtime Apple user, every time I have to use Windows I remember why I love my Macs!
Thanka! Yes, to Brown's. I
Thanks! Yes, to Brown’s. I am hoping they can make it last a while longer. I wasn’t aware of the 17 inch — and Patrick didn’t correct me when I said I thought 15 was the biggest currently. I think I do remember a while ago seeing 17 inch. Perhaps there is an older one that isn’t that old I could buy used.
Available... but pricey and bulky
On Apple.com, reconditioned 17 inch laptops run above $1800. It appears they may be discontinued, because for new ones they only list 15 inch.
thanks
Thanks. Will check them out out.
Macbook Air + external monitor + Time Machine
Sounds to me like you should consider getting a MacBook Air, with a commodity external monitor and a Time Machine WiFi external hard drive. I don’t think you’ll like holding a 17″ laptop on your lap.
The Air can be had affordably in an 11 inch screen and a bit more expensively in 13 inch. So long as you don’t buy an overpriced Apple monitor, you can get a 17 inch or more monitor for maybe 200 bucks. Connect that via USB. You’ll probably need some more storage than can be had cheaply in the Air. The air now has two USB ports, so you could plug an external hard drive into the second one for less than 100 bucks, but for 300, you can get a TimeMachine which will connect smoothly via WiFi. Consider an Apple Bluetooth keyboard for 70 bucks, but that’s just gravy.
From your description of your use patterns, the only drawback of this setup is that you’ll be a lot happier viewing documents side by side wherever you put your external monitor than roaming around the house or porch on the Air’s small screen. With this setup, you can comfortably roam (with the closest thing to a laptopish/iPad single product), and then when you need screen real estate, you plug in your external monitor and you’ve got it.
what a good idea!
Thanks, Geo A Vt!! What an obvious, great suggestion. I didn’t even think of that. If I need to do the replacement thing, I probably will go with this approach.