What I’ve been conditionally accepted into Bitmaker Labs’ June 2013 cohort. A necessity of the program is a MacBook. My computer could use an upgrade, but I want to make it as future-proof as possible. 

Why This is for my self-actualization. I dislike school because we keep going in to the why (think science) and the theoretical (think math), and everything else has the mentality of “here’s the textbook and memorize it because you’re going to be tested on this content”. 

I want to build my dreams. And not wait for school to catch up. I like throwing myself into the deep end and figuring out how to swim. Running before I can walk. Faking it until I make it. I’ve got ideas — this will provide me with the tools to make them a reality. 

Uses It’ll be used for application development, initially on the web, potentially on mobile and on desktops. User interface design will also be done. The main advantage over my current desktop will be the mobility; the main disadvantage — ergonomics. 

Requirements => OS X => Portable => Less than $2000 => Accurate display => Lots of screen real-estate => Good Battery => Dockable => Light 

Money? I’m going to make $2000 by March. $50 an hour for web design pays pretty well. Well, there’s also my birthday on February 22nd. 

Options There are only 3 options that meet the requirements. No more. 

MBA 13” + External Monitor rMBP 13” + External Monitor rMBP15 MBA: “MacBook Air” rMBP: “Retina MacBook Pro” + Most screen real estate + Most portable + Cheapest solution - Comparatively bad display + Awesome screen + Still very portable - Enticing for thieves + Best screen + Still portable + Most powerful - Really enticing for thieves - No external monitor - Least screen real estate 

Decision Initially, I find myself going for the 13” Retina MacBook Pro with an external monitor. My use cases don’t require much in the way of processing power or graphics muscle, so its lesser performance as compared to the 15” variant shouldn’t be a problem. That said, unlike desktop systems you can’t go on upgrading so what you pick you’re stuck with for the next while. 

Possibility With the unlikely financial aid on the part of my parents, I believe that a 15” Retina MacBook Pro with an external monitor is the best choice as it doesn’t skimp on anything. 

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