I am going to move to a Mac platform and have a lot of questions and research to do.
I plan to work for another 2 years and then retire, so my computing needs are going to be minimal when that happens. I use a Windows machine and build a lot of MS Office Applications (think heavy VBA programming) for my company. Also use Lightroom 4 and Adobe CS 2 for instructional design of products we sell. Along with graphic design there is a lot of post processing of RAW files of 20MB each into JPG. So moving away from most these Windows-based applications is not an option until I retire. I also have been using Quicken for Windows since ’92 and probably need to stay with that (haven’t check on a Mac version yet). There are also some other Windows based programs I probably need to stick with unless there is a better Apple option.
I travel about 2 weeks per month and need excellent mobile tools. Right now I use an iPhone 5S and an iPad 3 for much of my work (this takes a lot of tweaking for business). I use a Dell Latitude for travel and as an office workstation. Here is what I have:
- Dell Latitude
- Dell Docking Station (not port replicator)
- Wireless laser printer
- Wireless ink jet printer (Air Play compatible)
- Two 20” monitors with extended desktop
- Two 4TB external hard drives for back ups (NTFS file format)
- One of the 4TB hard drives backs up to Carbonite
- One 1TB external hard drive for windows system back up only (use Carbonite)
- Wireless keyboard, mouse and keypad
This is what I am thinking of moving too:
- MacBook Pro 13” with Retina display
- i7 processor
- 16 GB SDRAM
- 1 TB flash storage
- USB Super Drive
- Thunderbolt display (1 or 2?)
Some questions…
I think I want to stick with mostly Apple hardware to make things easier and more productive.
OPERATING SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE
Since I am going to be working mostly with Windows apps for the next two years, it looks like I would be best served using Boot Camp. I plan to run Windows 7 Professional. Probably going to use MS Office 2010 for Windows.
MONITORS
Currently I do a lot of work with dual monitors. When I build Excel applications I run the VBA code on one monitor and Excel on the other. Also I do a lot of Power Points with training guides, so I need to see both on separate screens. Does the Thunderbolt display have enough real estate for running separate windows, or would I be better served with two displays. Also the Thunderbolt appeals to me for attaching peripherals and getting rid of my bulky speaker system.
EXTERNAL DRIVES
It looks like it will be easiest to get a couple Mac compatible hard drives. Will it be (easily) possible to use the NTSF file drives at all? At least to copy files onto the MacBook?
There is probably a lot I don’t know or haven’t thought about. This is not a cheap upgrade for me, and I hope to use the system for a lot of years.
Any feedback, thoughts, advice will be greatly appreciated.
Well, off to do more research.
Thanks, in advance!
I plan to work for another 2 years and then retire, so my computing needs are going to be minimal when that happens. I use a Windows machine and build a lot of MS Office Applications (think heavy VBA programming) for my company. Also use Lightroom 4 and Adobe CS 2 for instructional design of products we sell. Along with graphic design there is a lot of post processing of RAW files of 20MB each into JPG. So moving away from most these Windows-based applications is not an option until I retire. I also have been using Quicken for Windows since ’92 and probably need to stay with that (haven’t check on a Mac version yet). There are also some other Windows based programs I probably need to stick with unless there is a better Apple option.
I travel about 2 weeks per month and need excellent mobile tools. Right now I use an iPhone 5S and an iPad 3 for much of my work (this takes a lot of tweaking for business). I use a Dell Latitude for travel and as an office workstation. Here is what I have:
- Dell Latitude
- Dell Docking Station (not port replicator)
- Wireless laser printer
- Wireless ink jet printer (Air Play compatible)
- Two 20” monitors with extended desktop
- Two 4TB external hard drives for back ups (NTFS file format)
- One of the 4TB hard drives backs up to Carbonite
- One 1TB external hard drive for windows system back up only (use Carbonite)
- Wireless keyboard, mouse and keypad
This is what I am thinking of moving too:
- MacBook Pro 13” with Retina display
- i7 processor
- 16 GB SDRAM
- 1 TB flash storage
- USB Super Drive
- Thunderbolt display (1 or 2?)
Some questions…
I think I want to stick with mostly Apple hardware to make things easier and more productive.
OPERATING SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE
Since I am going to be working mostly with Windows apps for the next two years, it looks like I would be best served using Boot Camp. I plan to run Windows 7 Professional. Probably going to use MS Office 2010 for Windows.
MONITORS
Currently I do a lot of work with dual monitors. When I build Excel applications I run the VBA code on one monitor and Excel on the other. Also I do a lot of Power Points with training guides, so I need to see both on separate screens. Does the Thunderbolt display have enough real estate for running separate windows, or would I be better served with two displays. Also the Thunderbolt appeals to me for attaching peripherals and getting rid of my bulky speaker system.
EXTERNAL DRIVES
It looks like it will be easiest to get a couple Mac compatible hard drives. Will it be (easily) possible to use the NTSF file drives at all? At least to copy files onto the MacBook?
There is probably a lot I don’t know or haven’t thought about. This is not a cheap upgrade for me, and I hope to use the system for a lot of years.
Any feedback, thoughts, advice will be greatly appreciated.
Well, off to do more research.
Thanks, in advance!