Macbook pro as desktop replacement?

Question

I'm thinking of getting a 15" Macbook Pro and a cinema display to replace my aging imac (snowball) and ibook. I've never used a laptop in this way before. What are the pros and cons to this setup? (i.e., heat issues, keeping the macbook pro on all the time, etc.)
Thank you!
imacG4/ibookG3   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

Answer 1

I disagree with the suggestion that an imac is always a better solution unless you need portability.
with the MBP, you get a PCexpress slot which is a significant avenue for further expansion of the machine that you do not get with any model of imac.
these days I think it's important to rethink the whole 'do you need portability or not?' question, because things really have changed recently. not so long ago, getting a notebook meant paying a serious premium, but also accepting the fact that for your money, you had to live with a very underpowered machine with far more limited expansion options and very cramped drive space, compared to what your money would get you in a non-portable computer. so it really was of paramount importance to decide if you really couldn't live without portability in order to get a machine that could do what you needed it to do. it's not so any more. buying an apple notebook gives you desktop-class performance, equal to the very fastest imac you can buy, which even then you need to custom order to get the fastest CPU. yes it's still true that there is a price variation in what you get for your money, but it's not in the same league as when top-flight powerbooks were well over a thousand bucks more than what they are now... and not only more expensive, but also significantly less powerful for your money. so going for the powerbook really did mean you had to think carefully about your need for portability, cos it was a purchase with several drawbacks. nowadays, the idea of portability is something you can consider with much less severity because you're going to get a machine that really doesn't compromise on performance.. so the idea of it being portable as a bonus is something you can really consider in a way you never could before.