Help Needed For Apple Choice

shuffles03

So, before I start: Mods, I put this topic in here instead of under the laptop category as there can be a lot of anti Apple talk going on and a question about an Apple product will usually result in the poster being told to buy a better Windows machine/build their own for one million times less than the cost of an Apple device yada yada etc.

Also,

I'm thinking of choosing an iPad to go along with my laptop so it seemed best to post my question here.

Ok, I'm selling my current laptop in a few hours for €730 and I'm looking to change back to a Mac. I'll be looking at purchasing it from Adverts. I've previously owned a 13" Pro and an Air (years ago) and I'm looking to try something a bit different.

I'm currently looking at buying either an iMac or an older MacBook coupled with a new iPad Mini.

I've looked around on adverts and have found a few iMacs but I'm not sure what the best to go for in my price range is. I've seen that there's a lot of 24" and 21" models (27" is out of my price range) but I'm confused about which one would be the best. Are the 24" models older? On Apple's store they only have 21 and 27" co figurations so should I be looking to purchase a 21" instead of a 24"?

My second option is an old MacBook and iPad Mini combination. I found what might be a little gem on Adverts; a 2007 black MacBook boxed with all the original accessories:

http://www.adverts.ie/laptops/macbook/2094190?touch_off

With the leftover money from buying the Blackbook, I would have enough to pick up an iPad Mini as well. In terms of what I need, there's no reason why I would need an iMac over a MacBook. I'm just trying to get the best bang for my buck. I know the black MacBook is pretty old but I think the design is pretty cool plus I could always throw an SSD in and upgrade the RAM at a later date.

What should I do?

shuffles03

Ok so I sold my laptop last night for €730 and I've pretty much decided that I'm going to go after a MacBook for in and around the €400 mark and I have my eye on a Black MacBook. That leaves me with roughly €300 to left to play with.

I intend on buying an iPad. For that price should I:

A. Buy an iPad 1 with 64GB and 3G

B. Buy an iPad 2 (from looking on adverts I'd probably only get a 16GB wifi version for that price)

or

C. Buy an iPad Mini 16GB wifi


3G would be a great bonus to have but I don't know how an iPad 1 fares by today's standards for browsing/general speed etc. I won't be using it to play games bar a minor one here and there. I know the iPad 1 can't upgrade to the latest iOS and doesn't have Siri etc but for just general use, what would be the best out of those 3?

Cheers in advance.

Piliger

These questions are MEANINGLESS on their own. There is NO right answer without knowing what you want to you use your device for !

Your decisions about and iMac or an MBP were the same - you mad no mention of what you wanted to DO with these devices and so no one can advise you.

Now you pose another choice ... but .... are you going to just read eBooks ? Just Browse ? Write emails a lot ? Only read emails and keep a calendar ? Take photos or play music ?

There is no such thing as a 'better' device ... or more bang for your buck. There is only the 'right' device for YOU, or the 'wrong' device for YOU.

shuffles03

Sorry about that. I just saw that I never mentioned what I needed the devices for. Forgot to put that in, sorry. I'm currently writing a book so I'll be using the laptop to aid with that. I'll also be using it for blogging, web browsing, watching movies, iTunes - basically non intensive tasks. After looking at what I needed the Mac for and then after looking at what my options were, I decided that an older MacBook with an accompanying iPad would suit my needs better than buying an iMac. At the same price as an iMac on it's own, an older MacBook with an iPad would allow me to write and blog freely between the two if I was at home or away. I had a go of a friends old white MacBook and it performed everything I needed perfectly.

The iPad will be used for exactly the same reasons as the MacBook but I wasn't sure which model I should try and go for. So many people have said that the iPad 1 is really slow and that I should get a newer model so that's why I wanted to see what people here thought. From an outside perspective having never used an iPad, 64GB and 3G seemed to be the best option in the iPad 1 but wasn't sure what the performance would be like. All in all, I'll be using both devices for standard purposes.

Piliger

Good choice of the MB imho. From what you say you don't need enormous memory. And you have have a specific use you want to make of the iPad. In my view therefore the right choice for you would be the 16Gb of the latest version, for longevity.

You say the 64Gb is best .... why ??? what on earth would you have that would take up that enormous space ?

And anyone who says that the iPad 1 is slow is nuts by the way. I use my friends regularly and it works fine. Is the latest faster ? Of course. So what.

shuffles03

Definitely don't need 64Gb on the iPad but 3G would be a great bonus and for €300 for an iPad 1 with both inside I thought screw it, might as well as that price wouldn't get me a 3G new iPad. Although, if I come across a 16GB 3G model I'd get that.

Glad to hear general use on an iPad 1 is really good. My biggest fear was that iOS updates (excluding the newer releases that aren't supported on the iPad 1) had crippled it. Cheers.

About the MacBook, I figure if I have to speed it up in the future I can always throw in an SSD.

Piliger

shuffles03 wrote: »

Definitely don't need 64Gb on the iPad but 3G would be a great bonus and for €300 for an iPad 1 with both inside I thought screw it, might as well as that price wouldn't get me a 3G new iPad. Although, if I come across a 16GB 3G model I'd get that.

Glad to hear general use on an iPad 1 is really good. My biggest fear was that iOS updates (excluding the newer releases that aren't supported on the iPad 1) had crippled it. Cheers.

I didn't mention that it had been updated to the latest iOS, only that it operates very well and smoothly ...... Why does it need it ? There is no obligation to keep updating.