I am on the market for a new machine; of course it has to be a Mac, I couldn't live without TextMate and I'd rather not go down the hackintosh route (I won't go into why as it could be a whole blog post on it's own!). I am now stuck between two different set ups, an iMac and an iPad; or a MacBook Pro and an Apple Cinema Display.

My current setup

Here is my current desk. I have my Late 2007 2.0Ghz MacBook connected up to a Samsung SyncMaster 923NW, along with my Samson C01U condenser microphone. My MacBook has served me well but it's battered and bruised and I will need a new machine when I go to University in September.

27" iMac & iPad

The first option for me to go down is to buy an iMac and an iPad. Please note: I really want an iPad so I'm already pretty much sold on this set up already. If I am buying an iMac, I'm getting a 27 incher; no way I'm forking out £1,000+ for a 21.5 inch screen. I'm also getting a Core i5 model, this would future proof the iMac for at least 5 years. I won't be opting for the Core i7 model as it's too much money for the gains you get. Anyway on to the next setup!

MacBook Pro & Apple Cinema Display

This is a lot like my current setup, just with a much better laptop and a much better screen.

My needs & future needs

My current needs are simple, I need a machine to sit on my desk. My MacBook hasn't moved from my desk in well over a year (not counting the times I've had a clean up etc). However, my future needs differ immensely. Of course I need a machine to use when I'm at Uni in my room. I'll also need a device to take notes on. I was thinking I could have an iMac and then use an iPad to take notes on.

One thing I just thought about, which I didn't think about before. When I go home for a few weeks at Christmas if I have an iMac I can only bring the iPad on the train. If I wanted to do some coding over Christmas I wouldn't be able to on an iPad. Unless I keep my MacBook (I doubt anybody would buy it in it's current state, and I reckon it's worth more to me as an extra machine anyway.)

Final setup?

iMac for heavy lifting at Uni; iPad for note taking, content consumption etc. MacBook for use at home for stuff like web development etc. Is this my perfect setup? Probably. I mean the MacBook works fine, it's just a bit rough around the edges. Let me know what you think in a comment / on twitter / on facebook. Try and sway me either way. I'm still not 100% but writing this post has led me to think that an iMac / iPad / MacBook setup would be just so sweet.