I'd go for the biggest, baddest, meanest Mac Book Pro you can get as that will have the oomph to handle any processing task that you throw at it. Yes it's a bit bigger and heavier than the 13" or Mac Book Air, but Photoshop/Lightroom/etc really benefit from a more powerful computer. A good carrying satchel/backpack will minimize the carrying discomfort. Remember to max out the memory as that will make a huge difference in how fast it runs. I'm satisfied with my old-fashioned spinning disk drive but some people swear by the SSD's.

Then, pick up an external (big !!) monitor, mouse and keyboard and you have the best of both worlds: a complete set-up for when you're at home, but you can still pick up your computer and take all your photos and software with you which is handy for both personal trips and also trips to the Genius Bar if anything should happen.

Catherine

I was used to working with 3 large monitors at work, so I was hesitant about going down from my large screen MacBookPro to a 12" screen for my personal laptop when I retired, but I love the portability of my "mini" MacBook! With a flash drive it runs much cooler and is only 2.03 lbs... less than half the weight of my old MacBookPro, and even with a full protective hard shell cover it is barely 3/4" thick! Very nice for traveling and it fits in very small carry-ons or a small (and thin) ladies briefcase or purse.

If I need a large screen for graphic design and PhotoShop work I can use my big screen TV for a monitor by going through my Apple TV! I can also view documents, photos, movies, etc. that are on my laptop as well.

The only downside to my new MacBook is that there aren't any USB ports or a CD/DVD player. You have to buy a separate SuperDrive for CDs and DVDs; and a Multi-port Adapter for USB/HDMI/Power that I use for jump drives or external hard drives. So far I haven't needed a SuperDrive.

I send print jobs to my wireless printer from my new MacBook, and also from my iPad and iPhone, which makes cables obsolete.

So my experience in downsizing to a smaller computer has been a positive one.

Get the fastest, meanest MacBook Pro you can muster. But wait until this Thursday or later. New ones are on the way!

I used a 2008 MacBook Pro, 15", with dual video (on board Intel and added nVidia card). It worked fine back then, for four years. I had an external NEC monitor that I could calibrate decently. It processed images in DP2 using Windows, edited video in Final Cut, and handled all I could throw at it with the Mac and Windows software I needed.

The newer Macs fall into distinct categories of MacBook Air, MacBook, and two or three flavors of MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air and MacBook are underpowered, really meant for knowledge workers who travel light. For photography or video, you want the larger MacBook Pro with quad processor, middle or max speed, max RAM and max SSD you can afford. That model will have dual video (on board for extended battery life, added high performance card for speed). Throw in a few external drives and one or two good monitors with a calibration kit, and you're set.

After the new Macs are available, look to www.macsales.com (Other World Computing) for peripherals, docks for your older accessories, etc.