A Realistic Dream Setup for You and Your Family
I received the idea for this post from Glenn Wolsey so just wanted to say that before I really get into this post.
A lot of people want to have every type of Mac, with 30 inch ACD’s to go with them. Really, NO ONE actually gets that setup. Seriously though, what is your dream setup? Something that you can actually see yourself eventually having in the future. For me, I am already half way there with my setup.
Firstly, I’d like to max out the RAM on my iMac, because currently I only have 1 GB, and it’s doing okay for now. Otherwise, my iMac is perfect. Then, I’d like to get either a white MacBook or a MacBook Pro. Basically all I’d be doing is writing, internet, iTunes, movies, and homework. I would really enjoy having a portable computer, because sometimes it annoys me that I can’t really move my iMac very far.
Another fun thing I like to think about sometimes, is let’s say you could get ANY type of Mac for everyone in your family. What would you get and why?
Dad – My Dad is a CFO, and he travels a lot, so he would totally get a MacBook Pro maxxed out. I would also probably like to get him a 24 inch iMac for his office in my house. In the future too, he will be most likely getting an iPhone, so I’d give him that, and maybe an iPod Classic for all of his tunes.
Mom – My Mom is a stay-at-home mother, so she doesn’t have much. All she really does is go on Facebook, Email, shop online, and do some word processing. I would either plan to get her a small iMac, or a MacBook. Most likely a MacBook, because I think she would enjoy the portability. She already currently has an iPod Shuffle (not the new one!) in red, so that would be it iPod wise.
Brother – My Brother loves to run large programs, and work on computers. No doubt, he would get a Mac Pro with two 30 inch displays. He would become so in love with it, he wouldn’t ever leave his room! I’d also like to get him a MacBook Pro for college (one more year!). He already has an iPod Classic, but I’d like to get him an iPhone because I know he will love the App Store and such.
I am sadly the only one in my family who has a Mac. I hope to change that eventually though. In about November me, my brother, and maybe my Dad are all getting iPhones. I think once my Dad plays around with the iPhone, he will fall in love. Also my Dad has had an IBM Thinkpad for a while now, and when it breaks, I will be forcing him to get a Mac. I know it will be the right choice and he will love it!
What would is your realistic Dream Setup? And if you could what Mac’s would you get your family? Leave a comment!
Christina Marie Sep 2, 2009 at 9:10 PM
Reader Comments (7)
That's a cool dream setup you got going there! My dream setup is realistic but will probably not happen in the near future.
I use Photoshop CS4, iMovie and soon Final Cut Express almost everyday. I have a MacBook right now with a 2.0 GHZ processor and 4GB of RAM. I would like to either get a 24" iMac or a Mac Pro with a 30" Cinema Display and a 24" LED Cinema Display. That would make Photoshopping and movie editing a lot easier on my part. If I couldn't get any of those, I would definitely go for a high-end 17" MacBook Pro!
Very nice post. I like your style of writing, for me I already own a MacBook Pro and I primarily run a desktop PC. So I would definitely like to ditch that PC and hook a nice high end iMac up with the already existing 24" monitor for the PC so I could have two displays, or go beastly and get a Mac Pro. If money wasn't the issue I would definitely go Mac Pro though.
I have my dream setup pretty much, I would probably upgrade my desktops RAM and graphics, but otherwise it works. I would hesitate to actually get a Mac these days, because I would only use it for Video editing, and I can't justify the price with my current financial situation. So maybe something like a Mac Mini, even then I'd question getting one.
I currently have:
1.9GHz AMD Athalon desktop, 1GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, 20" AOC Monitor, 2.1 sound system.
2.1GHz AMD Sempron laptop, 3GB of RAM, 160 GB HDD, 15.6" screen
And a Linux server with lord knows how much on specs. I use it as a backup machine, it has a pretty decent sized HDD.
So yeah, no Macs for me right now :P lol.
Years ago, I'd foolishly drool over the Mac Pro with a couple of cinema displays. That used to be my "dream setup". Of course I now realise how completely unnecessary that is. Unless you need all that computer grunt (and I'm talking 3D designers, professional video editors, etc), a workhorse like the Mac Pro isn't worth the amount of power it consumes. Many professionals are choosing the "consumer" Macs because they're cheaper, more energy efficient, and perfectly adequate for their needs.
I already have my "dream setup" pretty much. I'm running a 24" iMac for media content and general Internet stuff, with a MacBook Air for writing and word processing. It's the perfect setup for my needs; I have ultra-portability when I need it, and a big, lavish screen when I need it.
My entire family run Mac computers, too, the most popular of which is the 13" MacBook (aluminium model, before it got updated to add the word "Pro"). The convenience factor of that machine is simply amazing. It's no wonder the MacBook is the best selling Mac :)
I'm also the only one in the family with a Mac. I got the MBP (unibody, late-2008, 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD).
Unfortunately, my parents and two brothers all prefer Windows. The are all Dell users. Even I have an old Dell to use =(. My mum doesn't really know how to use a comp, so I think she might be the easiest family member to convince to switch to a Mac.
Anyways, my dream setup (only for myself),
An iMac 24-inch 2.66GHz
A MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.53GHz
An Apple 24-inch LED Cinema Display
iPhone 3GS 32GB
Sony Ericsson W995 (mainly because I'm a fan of SE)
Canon EOS 500D (cause I love taking photos)
I personally find my self in and out of Photoshop CS4 and Final Cut Pro on a daily basis. In the background would be the normal things (ie, iTunes, Safari, Skype, iChat, Mail, iPhoto, Ventrilo, twhirl, MSN etc.) I find, that my current iMac does the job fine (2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 9400M.) However, in terms of a dream, I would personally want a dual computer setup. A maxxed out Mac Pro with one 23" Cinema Display to the left, and to the right, a custom built gaming PC with tri-SLI, an EXTREME i7 (or i5) etc. As for portability, I would get a Macbook Pro 17".
I often plan what kind of setup, cameras and objectives, etc. I could someday own. The highlight of my setup has been almost two years a white MacBook (2.2GHz, 4GB 667MHz, 320Gt) with 20" LG monitorTV. No complains except the inte(l)grated graphics (144MB VRAM) what doesn't do well in games. Luckily I rarely play anything on computer, I prefer iPhone.
So, I like my MacBook very much and laptops altogether. MacBook Pro would be just fine for me but I keep dreaming about having this MacBook and also the machine which does the hard work: Mac Pro. I would like to experience the versatility of two or more internal hard drives, two processors, 2-8 times more memory and all that "pro stuff". And it just looks plain beautiful. 24" LED Cinema display would be the obvious dream choise. Time Capsule would be the last piece in the puzzle needed to create clear vision of subject, in this case the setup.