I’m considering getting a Macbook (edit: I’m potentially considering the entire apple laptop range, so long as it was of handling RW well enough) and curious what others thoughts are on which model they’d recommend. I’ve only ever had an iMac and love all the screen real estate that I get for using RW. But I’d like a little more flexibility in where I can work.
Thoughts?
(Secondary question on managing RW sites across two computers. If I get a laptop, should I try and keep all my RW stuff on that laptop? I know that it can be done but keep in mind that I am neither smart nor organized)
You might want to have a bootable clone of your iMac on an external SSD drive. Aside from the security of having an identical copy of your desktop, you can boot from the SSD drive when using your MacBook and have everything you need in the SSD to run RW and access your website files.
In addition to backing up data to external drives and cloud storage, I also have 2 bootable clones of my MacBook Pro – one as a mirror backup and one for my boot drive. This will also make things easier for when I switch to a new MBP.
As for which MacBook model to choose, that would depend on your needs and use-case scenario. I’ve only used iMacs and MacBook Pros but I suppose a MacBook might be all you need – perhaps there are others who have first-hand experience and can give better advice on this. Whichever model you decide on, consider the RAM size – bigger is better – and you might want to consider future-proofing by getting a newer-generation processor.
I work off my laptop (MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011) at my day job and my desktop when at home. I just copy the add-ons folder (if it’s been updated) and files back and forth.
Having been a Mac guy since the FatMac days, I rejoiced when the laptops finally came out. The only way I work now is with a fast MBP (3.1 GHz) attached to two 27" monitors (I have the same setup at home and at my day job). Having everything in one place is just so easy. For security, I keep two TimeMachines - one at home and one at work. So, should anything happen (fire, theft, etc.) the most I’d be out is one day of work.
As some of you know, I had some huge issues with my MBP earlier this year (it went in for repairs FOUR times). This forced me to switch files back and forth between my laptop and our iMac. What a hassle. Speaking of the issues - I bought my MBP from an Apple Authorized Dealer. According to two Apple Store managers and (eventually) a much higher-level customer support person in Cupertino, had I purchased the machine from an Apple Store, Apple would have replaced the machine much quicker than they eventually did (after four non-repairs). My “new” machine, by the way, has been flawless.
I have a MBP 2011 (my backup machine) and a MBP 2015 which I got off eBay instead of buying a new one. I have problems with the direction Apple has gone with the latest laptops. Last year I did buy a new MBP but returned it. The lack of ports and need for dongles is a pain. The keyboard is horrible and noisy compared to the 2011 (the 2015 was the last MBP with a decent keyboard). If the new keyboard is faulty, you cannot change individual keys like in the older MBPs. That means replacing the whole keyboard. Which raises another question: once your 3 year warranty is up, you are out of luck - the newer MBPs are basically unrepairable, as far as separate parts, unlike the 2011. A local repair shop said the best MBP to buy that is repairable is the 2012 model.
