MacBook Pro or MacBook Air?

[endoftheroad]

Yes, I need to replace my iPad 1 with something faster. My plans are for a verizon mifi so I can still use the iPad 1 but with faster speeds as my iPad I'd Att&t 3G. Also in response to using the Ipad primarily please correct me if I'm wrong. Firstly I'd like to mention that the MacBooks will make my boat more home like than a portable Ipad could. And very important is that I'd like to be able to back up to external hard drives, the use of a cd drive is still necessary for us, and externally digitally stored movies and media. Aren't these easier to accomplish using MacBooks? A question, is my wife's iPad 3 compatable with apples external cd drive?
Also, don't iPads, iPhones, and iPods require a laptop for transferring info?
And doesn't it make sense that since one already has several of the 3 above apple products that it would be more convenient staying in the family?
Please correct me on any of this I'm very technically challenged.

Carl

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Also, don't iPads, iPhones, and iPods require a laptop for transferring info?
And doesn't it make sense that since one already has several of the 3 above apple products that it would be more convenient staying in the family?
Please correct me on any of this I'm very technically challenged.

You can easily survive with just an iPad. My wife does that and has never connected it to a computer. To make this work you will have to transfer data via network or connect it to an external hard drive.

You can use external drives with an iPad, but they are "wireless" drives. For example: Amazon.com: Wireless - External Hard Drives / Data Storage: Electronics

If you have some Apple products already, and plan to keep them, the for sure it will be more convenient staying in the family.

[endoftheroad]

[QUOTE=hoppy;1524659]I have a "cigarette lighter" 12v charger for my MBP/MBA when I am on the boat.



Hoppy,
Where did you get your 12v adapter?
Surely I intend to keep my MBA plugged in full time and full time using an inverter isn't an option.
Thanks

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Yes, I need to replace my iPad 1 with something faster. My plans are for a verizon mifi so I can still use the iPad 1 but with faster speeds as my iPad I'd Att&t 3G. Also in response to using the Ipad primarily please correct me if I'm wrong. Firstly I'd like to mention that the MacBooks will make my boat more home like than a portable Ipad could. And very important is that I'd like to be able to back up to external hard drives, the use of a cd drive is still necessary for us, and externally digitally stored movies and media. Aren't these easier to accomplish using MacBooks? A question, is my wife's iPad 3 compatable with apples external cd drive?
Also, don't iPads, iPhones, and iPods require a laptop for transferring info?
And doesn't it make sense that since one already has several of the 3 above apple products that it would be more convenient staying in the family?
Please correct me on any of this I'm very technically challenged.

Carl

Hi Carl,
There are plenty of reasons to want a laptop -- Mac or otherwise -- but moving files around needn't be one of them. Whether you buy a laptop or not, I recommend exploring one of the cloud backup options. I use Time Machine on my Macs, but I am using Dropbox for more and more of my files. It gives access across all my devices and allows me to easily share a subset of files with other people. (Dropbox is only one of many cloud-based backup/file sharing options. It's just the one I know.)

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Hoppy,
Where did you get your 12v adapter?
Surely I intend to keep my MBA plugged in full time and full time using an inverter isn't an option.
Thanks

There are heaps of them for sale on Ebay and Amazon. I forget where I bought mine but I found it was rather (very?) noisy (RFI) so I cut the cable and wired the plug into one of these DCDC-USB-200, Intelligent DC-DC converter with USB interface .

Works good, and can be left on all the time. I also have a simpler mini-box 12v-12v running a 12V LCD screen in place of the power brick it came with.

Hope this helps
El Ping

[CarinaPDX]

I'm fast approaching such a decision as well: my 2006 MBP is getting a little long in the tooth. The reason it has lasted so long is that I have been able to upgrade RAM (to 3GB - max 3.5GB addressed), HDD (currently 1TB, to be 480GB SSD by end of week), and several batteries. It currently is in need of a new clock battery, which I will be tracking down soon. The point is that the modern MBP does not have the ability to upgrade any of these things; the battery is even glued in, over a ribbon cable that gets wrecked when removing, the RAM is soldered, the SSD is an odd form factor (although apparently PCIe compatible, so some hope for the future). The repairability score (iFixit.com) is 1 out of 10. As far as I'm concerned there is little reason to pay a large premium for an MBP anymore.

Gaming? Need 16GB RAM? Only the very top 15" MBP model, starting at $2600, has a (middling) discrete GPU. Intel's integrated graphics (all other models) has improved recently but is still less than ideal for gaming. If gaming is your thing then I'm afraid the Mac isn't.

With the move to SSD I am also moving to a NAS (Network Attached Storage) for storing large files, like video, and for backups. I am buying a Synology DS411slim 4 X 1TB 2.5" drives in a RAID array, which will also serve the TV (DLNA), printer (maybe, some limitations), and works with Apple's Time Machine. I will generally access it through the boat's wifi, but can also use ethernet on this laptop.

Personally I like the Samsung Note 8 for a lot of things but it can't replace a laptop for me (even with a BT keyboard).

Greg

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Actually, it's a Mach kernel, from Carnegie Mellon.

The current kernel is the Darwin kernel, which is an evolved Mach kernel, which was specifically developed for.... BSD Unix

The whole point is that OSX has the beating heart of BSD Unix which makes it one of the best OSes available. For Unix people, it comes with a full GNU suite that even includes Apache etc. while the non-Unix crowd enjoys stability and performance without ever seeing a Unix shell prompt. It's all good

I've spent my career using freeBSD so my view on OSes isn't very neutral

[Fog Bank]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

Yes, I need to replace my iPad 1 with something faster. My plans are for a verizon mifi so I can still use the iPad 1 but with faster speeds as my iPad I'd Att&t 3G. Also in response to using the Ipad primarily please correct me if I'm wrong. Firstly I'd like to mention that the MacBooks will make my boat more home like than a portable Ipad could. And very important is that I'd like to be able to back up to external hard drives, the use of a cd drive is still necessary for us, and externally digitally stored movies and media. Aren't these easier to accomplish using MacBooks? A question, is my wife's iPad 3 compatable with apples external cd drive?
Also, don't iPads, iPhones, and iPods require a laptop for transferring info?
And doesn't it make sense that since one already has several of the 3 above apple products that it would be more convenient staying in the family?
Please correct me on any of this I'm very technically challenged.

Carl

From a pure entertainment standpoint, you could go the route I did. When I download movies/shows from the iTunes Store, I download them through my MacBook Pro, but store the media on a Seagate Wireless Plus (1TB). By keeping the directory on the MacBook my iTunes identifies the media on the drive as available and useable. This drive can be used to watch films on the laptop, or up to four or five individual devices at the same time. It also streams to the iPad. This was my workaround for hardware space.

When it comes to disc based media, you will run into a massive brick wall. You can play non Blu-Ray, but Apple has never had Blu-ray playback ability. That all goes back to Steve Jobs. To play Blu-Ray you will need an external blu-Ray drive, and the proper playback media player.

For storage and shared media/data/etc the iCloud account is your solution, at least when you have internet access. If my reply is a jumbled and disjointed mess I apologize. On a conference call lol.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

The point is that the modern MBP does not have the ability to upgrade any of these things; the battery is even glued in, over a ribbon cable that gets wrecked when removing, the RAM is soldered, the SSD is an odd form factor

I find that insane in a $2000+ laptop. Bordering on negligent on their part. No way I would ever buy one of these. I cannot imagine what would have led them to make such a poor decision. Then to offer it with 4gigs of RAM is just irresponsible on the part of their marketing department. I bet there were some seriously pissed of engineers at Apple when this happened.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by tartansail

Hi Carl,
There are plenty of reasons to want a laptop -- Mac or otherwise -- but moving files around needn't be one of them. Whether you buy a laptop or not, I recommend exploring one of the cloud backup options. I use Time Machine on my Macs, but I am using Dropbox for more and more of my files. It gives access across all my devices and allows me to easily share a subset of files with other people. (Dropbox is only one of many cloud-based backup/file sharing options. It's just the one I know.)

For a cruising boat, the cloud just isn't happening…

Mark

[CarinaPDX]

Insane: agreed.

The other things that have kept me alive are the ExpressCard slot (unlocked 3G GSM modem, eSata interface for external drive), FireWire 800 for portable HDDs, FW 400 for external optical (the internal one was utter crap - I got tired of replacing it - cute feed slot if you don't need to install drivers on mini-CD), ethernet, DVI. So now we have USB3 and Thuderbolt only; price out the adapters and cables for ethernet, firewire, eSata, etc, and that $2600 notebook becomes over $3k, and count on replacing it in a few years. Yes, shame on Apple. I have been with them continuously since the Mac Plus (mid-80's) but am tempted to Linux Mint and a generic laptop for under $1k.

Greg

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I've spent my career using freeBSD so my view on OSes isn't very neutral

Really? Couldn't tell!

[zboss]

Originally Posted by colemj

For a cruising boat, the cloud just isn't happening…

Mark

Thats not really true.

Dropbox creates is own virtual drive on each of the devices it is installed on. This virtual drive complements the drive located on the dropbox servers. There is a setting in the app which allows you to set the local virtual drive to sync with the online dropbox drive automatically when connecting to the internet, or to manually do so.

This allows you to make as many changes as you like on you local machine and then sync them when convenient.

In addition, there is another wi-fi synching option where you can sync wirelessly over wi-fi to your other dropbox enabled devices when connected to an internal wireless router... so you sync between devices without the use of the online dropbox account.

This means that both my macs, both my ipads, my work PC's, and both my iphones and all synced regardless of my online status. If you happen to find yourself in a location that does have actual high speed internet, or even slow speed internet if you are not transferring enormous files, you can use the cloud.

Indeed, dropbox (and box) allow you to attach applications to your dropbox which allows you to do some pretty cool things, like automatically download the latest GRIBS, etc. You can do some pretty "amazing" stuff with Automate your Dropbox

[cheoah]

Yes that build style is irritating, but even still, the machines are far better than a comparable PC for many basic functions. I expect Apple to push the envelope on profitability, and yes, that's not going to do much for us.

I have a Pro. It draws 7A, per the victron, through an inverter. It is a killer machine, rarely reboot it, super stable. I use the DVD drive some but it is mostly an internet and business machine. An iPad would not do at all, being used to a machine with some power, and form factor. The OS is incredibly stable.

Get the air if you don't need the biggest and fastest. I am not clear on how much of a power savings advantage there is.

My Macbook pro 15" is several years old now, and to me, it feels like a brand new machine. I think that says a lot.

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by colemj

For a cruising boat, the cloud just isn't happening…

Mark

Originally Posted by zboss

Thats not really true.

Dropbox creates is own virtual drive on each of the devices it is installed on. This virtual drive complements the drive located on the dropbox servers. There is a setting in the app which allows you to set the local virtual drive to sync with the online dropbox drive automatically when connecting to the internet, or to manually do so.

This allows you to make as many changes as you like on you local machine and then sync them when convenient.

In addition, there is another wi-fi synching option where you can sync wirelessly over wi-fi to your other dropbox enabled devices when connected to an internal wireless router... so you sync between devices without the use of the online dropbox account.

This means that both my macs, both my ipads, my work PC's, and both my iphones and all synced regardless of my online status. If you happen to find yourself in a location that does have actual high speed internet, or even slow speed internet if you are not transferring enormous files, you can use the cloud.

Indeed, dropbox (and box) allow you to attach applications to your dropbox which allows you to do some pretty cool things, like automatically download the latest GRIBS, etc. You can do some pretty "amazing" stuff with Automate your Dropbox

This. You're only using the cloud when you have Internet access. I have all my Dropbox files on all my machines (two macs, an iPad and an iPhone). They sync automatically with each other when they're on a shared network and with the cloud backup when it is available. Meanwhile, I can work on all the files on any of the machines while disconnected using the local copy of Dropbox.