My first machine was the late the 17-inch G5 powered iMac. A year of blood, sweat, and effort was put into obtaining this machine. Countless lawns were mowed each week as I put money toward the large (for a 13 year old child) purchase. This G5 introduced me to the Macintosh culture, while helping me begin a writing career and giving me an outlet to showcase my creative work online from an early age. I kept the machine for 24 months before progressing forward and beginning my journey through the product line.

The Second iMac

Next came the iMac Core Duo 17″. I sold the G5 and progressed to my first Intel based machine. I don’t remember much about this machine, however whilst owing this iMac my photography hobby continued to expand, and I moved to Aperture for image processing and cataloguing which the machine amply handled.

The First Portable

My introduction to portability came with the MacBook Core Duo 13.3″. This laptop was purchased to run alongside the iMac Core Duo.

Once I started using this laptop I began using the desktop less and less. I found writing to be a much more enjoyable experience in comfort. Blogging volume and quality went from strength to strength as I was able to blog while away from home, on the couch, and in the backyard. I’d been positively introduced to the portable world.

The Pro Workstation

After my introduction to the portable world, my next purchase was set to be a 15″ MacBook Pro and a 23″ Apple Cinema Display, however the fanboy in me took over and purchased the holy grail of Apple products, the Mac Pro 2 x 2.66Ghz and a 30″ Apple Cinema Display.

As a self proclaimed Apple fanboy, the thought of owning a Mac Pro was a distant dream I thought about from time to time but nothing I ever thought would come to life. With a large wad of cash in hand, I pulled the trigger on the baseline Woodcrest Mac Pro.

Packed with a quad-core processor, 10GB of RAM, two large hard-drives, and attached to a 30″ Apple Cinema Display the Mac Pro flew through any task I threw at it. For the first time Aperture felt snappy, not lagging on export or when making adjustments on RAW files. Yes – it was more power than I required or could put to use 90% of the time, but the sheer experience of power blew me away.

The Pro Portable

Whilst still owning the Mac Pro, I received a MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 15″ which I planned to run alongside as a writing and browsing machine I could use while out of the office. After a few weeks with both pro machines in my armory, I began using the MacBook Pro more than I had planned, the majority of my work moved from the office to the couch.

I made the decision to see rid of the Mac Pro to free up my cash flow. I was sad to see it go, but I was more than happy with how the MacBook Pro was coping with the light Aperture work, and day-to-day tasks. I still had the option of hooking it up to the Cinema Display when I needed to get some serious work done. However, after a month collecting dust I also sold the Cinema Display and made use of Spaces for virtual screen real estate rather than the cumbersome, quickly aging Cinema Display.

The Current Machine & Plans

12 months on I received an offer I couldn’t refuse for the 15″, I picked up the Unibody MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 13.3″.

For the past 18 months I’ve been settled using a MacBook Pro as my primary work machine. The 15″ was running on 4GB of RAM whilst the 13″ has been running stock since it arrived.

I’m playing more of a focus on photography in my free time once again I’m beginning to feel the constraints of both the power and limitations of the 13.3″ display. I’ve thoroughly thought out the logistics of adding a 27″ iMac to my office, however I’ve loved having all my data accessible in one location. The ability to simply pick up the laptop and move my work anywhere is invaluable, making a move to a desktop machine unattractice.

Instead of adding a second machine, I ordered 8GB of RAM for the MacBook Pro. In regard to display constraints I’m waiting for a larger Apple Cinema LED Display. The 24″ looks very attractive, however the extra resolution a 27-inch panel offers would be invaluable whilst editing in Aperture and viewing documents side by side. I wait in patience.

4.1 Million To 1.3 Million

Pixels, that is. When I sold the 30″ Apple Cinema Display, I sold the large canvas I had become so attached to when the Mac Pro was in my possession.

Have I missed it? Not at all. The MacBook Pro paired with Spaces has been a perfect solution to losing my large display. I feel so much more comfortable knowing everything is in one place, in one machine. I don’t have as much cash tied up in technology that’s sitting unused.

It’s surprising to myself that I haven’t once regretted my decision. This could be reinforced by the 2 week period I had leading up to listing the display for sale. I told myself I’d not touch it for another two weeks, and see if I missed it. I didn’t, so off it went. Out of sight, out of mind.

Adapting With Spaces

Spaces, one of Leopard’s ‘innovative’ features has shaped the way I use my notebook. When playing with a screen measuring 1440 x 900 pixels – things are bound to change compared to a 2560 x 1600 canvas.

I set up three Spaces on the 15″ MacBook Pro to organize various applications. The first Space been the active work area, for Safari, blogging, writing, editing, etc. The second space is set aside for communication (Mail, iChat, Twitterrific), while the third is my reference Space (iTunes, NetNewsWire).

High Resolution Future

The High-Resolution 17″ MacBook Pro currently sports a display measuring 1920 x 1200 pixels (133ppi), equaling that of the current 23″ Apple Cinema Display (98ppi). The iPhone and iPod touch both boast screens with a pixel density around the 160ppi mark – compared to the 15″ MacBook Pro’s 110ppi display. Where does this leave us for the future of Apple notebook displays?

An addition of the high resolution option in 15″ model would be well received in the next revision of the MacBook Pro line. I don’t expect to see 1080p, but 1680 x 1050 (same as the 20″ Apple Cinema Display) would be a significant move in the right direction. Displays with a high pixel-per-inch density are in our not too distant future.