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Any 15" laptop users ever migrate to 13"? Hard?

zub3qin

zub3qin

macrumors 65816
Original poster
I am ready to make the move to Mac from my dell.
I have been using a 15" Dell laptop for the past 2 years. I am afraid that going to a MB with its smaller screen will be a real issue. Yes I have tried playing with both MBP and MB at the Apple store- but you really need to "use" it for a while to know. At first glance, it seems like MB is small.

QUESTION:
Anyone here ever been in my situation, and which did you go to from using a 15" in the past-- a 13" or 15"? Any problems with screen real estate with the 13"?

By the way, you may ask why I don't want a MBP.
1) priced higher
2) larger
3) less battery life
4) looks plain to me- i'd rather have a blackbook
5) less wireless range
6) i do not game at all

Finally, any reason to think that Leopard graphics/animation will in some way run better on a MBP than a MB due to the graphics card differences?

Thanks!
 
Physical screen size probably wouldn't be as big a deal as resolution will be. I used a 15" Dell for a while that had a 1024x768 resolution, but going to the 13" MB with it's 1280x800 resolution was a blessing. What resolution was the Dell you'e been using?
 
I actually just got my White Macbook after selling my 15" Macbook Pro.
The reason I did this was that the laptop for me is just a second computer and not my main. My 20" iMac is my main computer, so I needed a laptop that can be easily moved around, powerful enough to do everything my iMac does.
The Macbook Pro is a great laptop but for the role I chose for it, an overkill.

I now bought my White Macbook with the following configuration: 2,16Ghz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 160GB HD

The screen I have to get used to, is definitely worse than the Macbook Pro's.
The resolution is ok, what I havent got used to, is the glossy display. I would very much prefer a matte one. The quality of the display is ok, nothing special here. Overall I am happy with my purchase as a second computer. The Macbook works great, the speed is excellent and the keyboard, well, I love it!
 
epicwelshman said:
Physical screen size probably wouldn't be as big a deal as resolution will be. I used a 15" Dell for a while that had a 1024x768 resolution, but going to the 13" MB with it's 1280x800 resolution was a blessing. What resolution was the Dell you'e been using?
Click to expand...

I have a 15" Dell with 1280x800

Going to a 13" 1280x800 makes you have to squint, no? Maybe I am wrong.
 
zub3qin said:
I am ready to make the move to Mac from my dell.
I have been using a 15" Dell laptop for the past 2 years. I am afraid that going to a MB with its smaller screen will be a real issue. Yes I have tried playing with both MBP and MB at the Apple store- but you really need to "use" it for a while to know. At first glance, it seems like MB is small.

QUESTION:
Anyone here ever been in my situation, and which did you go to from using a 15" in the past-- a 13" or 15"? Any problems with screen real estate with the 13"?

By the way, you may ask why I don't want a MBP.
1) priced higher
2) larger
3) less battery life
4) looks plain to me- i'd rather have a blackbook
5) less wireless range
6) i do not game at all

Finally, any reason to think that Leopard graphics/animation will in some way run better on a MBP than a MB due to the graphics card differences?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same predicament myself. I am a little wary of the screen size, which is why I would opt for a MBP. However, I am thinking about buying an external 22" monitor with the money I am saving. This would be ideal, especially if you aren't always on the go.
 
00PS said:
I'm in the same predicament myself. I am a little wary of the screen size, which is why I would opt for a MBP. However, I am thinking about buying an external 22" monitor with the money I am saving. This would be ideal, especially if you aren't always on the go.
Click to expand...

This is my plan. MB + ext Display.
But the reality is that my comp will be used on the couch for the vast majority.

So I need a usable display on the laptop. Is 13" going to cut it?
 
Don't worry about it, I used a 15" dell before my BlackBook came to be, and I had no problems with screen size, despite it being physically smaller, I have found it to be very nice, it seems almost perfect. I feel that I must say I'm getting a MBP, but not for screen size (heck, I'd looked into a $350 12" PB G4 on eBay) I just need some dedicated VRAM. You won't have a problem with the smaller screen, trust me.
 
iToaster said:
Don't worry about it, I used a 15" dell before my BlackBook came to be, and I had no problems with screen size, despite it being physically smaller, I have found it to be very nice, it seems almost perfect. I feel that I must say I'm getting a MBP, but not for screen size (heck, I'd looked into a $350 12" PB G4 on eBay) I just need some dedicated VRAM. You won't have a problem with the smaller screen, trust me.
Click to expand...

Exactly the info I needed to hear.
Thanks!
 
I went from a 15" PC laptop to my MacBook and I must admit at first my eyes were struggling a bit. Because of the MacBooks higher resolution I found myself squinting slightly when reading.


All in all, it took a week or so to get used to and I've never looked back.
 
Switched powerbooks

I sold my 15" powerbook to my sister in order to buy the 12" powerbook I've had now for almost two years and I love it.

The MB display is even nicer and higher resolution than what I use (1024x768) and I have an external monitor for use at my desk.

The size and weight improvements far outweigh any screen size concerns.
 
I will (hopefully) sell my MBP today. Right now I'm on my MacBook. No problems going to the smaller screen for me... 🙂
 
I had a 14" Dell Inspiron before getting this MacBook, and I admit it did take a week or two to get used to the smaller physical size and higher resolution (the Dell was 1024x768 vs. the MacBook's 1280x800), but I got used to it and now when I use other computers with 1024x768 everything just looks so big and has less space. So much so that I gradually changed all the LCD's in one of my classes to 1280x1024 over the course of a week or so. 😀
 
I just sold my wife's 15" powerbook for a 13" Macbook. She likes the glossy screen and the overall performance but she is still getting used to the smaller size. She uses it primarily for surfing, email, messenger and Microsoft Office.

I have both a MPB and a black MacBook. I use the MBP more often and the MacBook for travel. No problem going back and forth.
 
My 15" powerbook (1280x854) just bit the dust and is being replaced by a blackbook. I'm a little concerned over the size difference, but I figure I'll manage. I'll let you know once the macbook gets here and gets used a bit.
 
munckee said:
My 15" powerbook (1280x854) just bit the dust and is being replaced by a blackbook. I'm a little concerned over the size difference, but I figure I'll manage. I'll let you know once the macbook gets here and gets used a bit.
Click to expand...

Can you let me know in 48hrs?!😉 The new ones come out on Tues!
 
I went from a 15'' Powerbook to a Macbook. I just couldn't do it. The 1280x800 is painful. Had to move back to a 15'' 1440x900 res because I needed the extra real estate for editing, etc. Plus, just couldn't stand the cheap plastic feel of the Macbook either. Or the integrated video card.
 
zub3qin said:
Can you let me know in 48hrs?!😉 The new ones come out on Tues!
Click to expand...

Those who wait for Tuesday are usually burned.

I can personally attest moving from a 17" to the MB screen took lots of getting used to. The MB was not mine, but I did use it for a few days. I found myself not being able to put as much stuff up on the screen like I had on my 17".

If you will be using an app with palettes (like PS) you will be crying for a larger screen. The 13" was OK for browsing web pages and most day to day uses.

Personally, I like a larger screen if it's the only computer I will have.
 
I went from a 1280x800 15.4" laptop to the macbook.
It's a bit of an adjustment. I had no problems in word, but I found that the letters in most websites were too small to read comfortably. (I can read it but after a long time my eyes get tired) Changing the minimum size for text in your browsers' preferences helps, but what worked even better for me was the "nosquint" firefox extension.
Opera has a great zoom function as well, but i can't live without adblock plus, so it's firefox for me.
Apart from that slight browser issue, everything is sharper, so I definitely prefer 13" over 15 for a 1280x800 resolution.
 
went from a MBP CD to a white MB C2D. I returned the MB after 2 weeks too much eye stain, too small of a screen, too glossy. However I do have bad eyes and for most I am sure the MB screen is perfect. I am now using the old 20 inch imac. 😛
 
A friend of mine can relate to the issue, except the other way around. He needed to replace his 1G 12" powerbook and bought a MBP, The MBP was too big for him, even when his programming strings did not continue on another line.

The nice thing about the MB is the size. I am sitting next to a friend with his MB and me with the MBP and really his screen rel estate is not to bad compared to mine. His browser window takes up a little more space then mine, but thats really about it.

Video performance is the only really big thing. The MB has the intergated Intel graphics, but the video still performs well.

For the money the MB is a sure thing. The one thing I do not like on the MB is the keyboard, but like stated, you need more then a few minutes at the store to really know what you think.
 
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