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Anyone prefer larger screen laptops again?

M

Misskitty

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 18, 2010
448
2
Anyone prefer larger screen laptops again?

Now that bezels, and housings have really come down in weight and manufacturers have been using much lighter materials. I look at the new 17" laptops sold now and theyre under 6.5 lbs, usually hovering around 6lbs. Thats pretty impressive. Years ago when I had a 17" laptop, it weighed 10lbs! But now Im not in college and when I come to think of it, being an owner of 13" laptops for the past 5 years, I just dont carry my laptop out very much. When I do, I really miss the extra screen real estate. Multitasking with multiple windows on a 13" stinks and is tedious. You feel really limited on 13" screens. Aside from larger footprints on the larger screen laptops, I dont see any reason not to go back.

Has anyone here gone back to larger screen laptops now that the weight has really come down?
 
M

Misskitty

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 18, 2010
448
2
17" WERE awkward to carry but now theyre really light. Throw it in a bag and its done. :)
 
S

Seniordan

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2013
221
0
Canada
I think sticking with a 13 or 15" laptop and hooking it up to an external display at home is the best of both worlds!
 
S

samiwas

macrumors 68000
Aug 26, 2006
1,598
3,579
Atlanta, GA
Misskitty said:
Anyone prefer larger screen laptops again?

Now that bezels, and housings have really come down in weight and manufacturers have been using much lighter materials. I look at the new 17" laptops sold now and theyre under 6.5 lbs, usually hovering around 6lbs. Thats pretty impressive. Years ago when I had a 17" laptop, it weighed 10lbs! But now Im not in college and when I come to think of it, being an owner of 13" laptops for the past 5 years, I just dont carry my laptop out very much. When I do, I really miss the extra screen real estate. Multitasking with multiple windows on a 13" stinks and is tedious. You feel really limited on 13" screens. Aside from larger footprints on the larger screen laptops, I dont see any reason not to go back.

Has anyone here gone back to larger screen laptops now that the weight has really come down?
Click to expand...

My laptop has been a 17" since the 17" models came out. Doing lots of CAD drafting, and always having multiple windows going, 17" is the bare minimum for me. Thought about trying a retina 15", but then things would probably get too small. My main computer is a 27" iMac with two external 23" monitors, so real estate is always tight on a laptop.

It is big, and it's not always fun to use on the road. It's 6.6 lbs, so it's not really heavy, but using it in an airplane can be a pain, as I can sometimes barely open the screen and it's hitting the seat in front of me. Outside of that, no issues here.
 
thatoneguy82

thatoneguy82

macrumors 68000
Jul 23, 2008
1,895
2
Beach Cities, CA
I still have my 17" MBP (mid-2010) for about 2.5 years and it's still running great with the SSD and RAM upgrade. I've been toying with the idea of getting a 15" rMBP, but I feel like I'll miss the extra 2". It's not like I do anything that requires a big screen - but it's just nice to have.
 
Tankmaze

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
maybe a 17" screen in a 15" footprint, lose the bezel. don't know if this feasible
or not but definitely would buy :D
 
velocityg4

velocityg4

macrumors 604
Dec 19, 2004
7,329
4,717
Georgia
I want my laptop to be small and comfortably portable. 6.5 lbs is still too heavy and the size makes it too bulky. Plus given the way most Windows laptops are they probably have lousy battery life at that weight.

I have a desktop for a large screen.
 
H

Happybunny

macrumors 68000
Sep 9, 2010
1,792
1,389
I have to say that I like the MBA 13", it is the perfect combination of size weight and now that Apple have great battery life, just perfect, for a Bistro table on a lazy afternoon.:cool:
 
M

Misskitty

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 18, 2010
448
2
Seniordan said:
I think sticking with a 13 or 15" laptop and hooking it up to an external display at home is the best of both worlds!
Click to expand...

Thats what I have, 13" MBP and two 27" monitors i connect them to at home.

----------
samiwas said:
My laptop has been a 17" since the 17" models came out. Doing lots of CAD drafting, and always having multiple windows going, 17" is the bare minimum for me. Thought about trying a retina 15", but then things would probably get too small. My main computer is a 27" iMac with two external 23" monitors, so real estate is always tight on a laptop.

It is big, and it's not always fun to use on the road. It's 6.6 lbs, so it's not really heavy, but using it in an airplane can be a pain, as I can sometimes barely open the screen and it's hitting the seat in front of me. Outside of that, no issues here.
Click to expand...

I agree, 17" is nice. A friend of mine has a 2010 MBP 17" and going from my 13" MBP to hers is a whole new experiences. Its like going from the ipad mini to ipad air. For instance, for the past 2 weeks, ive been using my ipad air solid over the mini, and now I find it hard (or should I say more or a compromise) to go back to the minis screen). Ultimately, I decided that im going to keep both the air and mini, but im returning my rmini for the 1st gen mini and pocketing the extra $150 cash.

I used to travel a lot with my laptop when I was in school (and if I still was in school Id prefer smaller screens), but if youre one like me who now rarely takes the laptop out of the house, the extra screen real estate is sure nice to have. Now, if my MBP was the retina version, that could possibly change my mind and keep me convinced in using 13" screens, but im just not willing to pay the ridiculous price just for the 13" retina screen.
 
R

Roller

macrumors 68030
Jun 25, 2003
2,887
2,040
localoid said:
Where's my stretchable screen that they promised 'way back in '11?
Click to expand...

This. The more I get used to larger screens on the desktop, the harder it is to use small laptop displays like the one in my 11" MBA, which I bought because of its small size and weight. But if someone came up with a foldable 20" screen, I'd go for it in a heartbeat.
 
S

SurferMan

macrumors 65816
May 14, 2010
1,267
51
South FL
For myself, no. Had a 17", never again. Love my 13" for travel, 15" is my limit now and even then barely use it. Any other time I'm using the desktops.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,489
43,414
I've always preferred a 15" laptop over a 13" I purchased a 13" MBP a few years ago and while it was quite portable and handy the screen (for my needs) was just too small.

Different strokes for different folks, I'm sure many 13" MBP owners feel the 15" (and the old 17" MBP) are way too big.
 
L

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,202
19,063
I see no point in a 17" laptop given that a 15" gives you the same real screen estate while being more mobile.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,489
43,414
leman said:
I see no point in a 17" laptop given that a 15" gives you the same real screen estate while being more mobile.
Click to expand...

tbh, I never saw the need for a behemoth of a laptop :) I know they have a loyal and dedicated following that would jump at the chance for apple to re-release an updated version but from my perspective, its just too big
 
B

bhamss

macrumors newbie
Oct 4, 2012
28
13
I would take a long look at a 17" rMBP. You are right the weight is clearly much much less these days and I like you do not carry mine nearly as much now that I have my iPad.

So yea the idea of a 17" is very appealing but it does not seem to be the trend for apple
 
T

thundersteele

macrumors 68030
Oct 19, 2011
2,984
9
Switzerland
The 17'' MBP was 3 kilos five years ago. I had one, it was not much different to carry from the 15'' MBP. Now the 15'' rMBP is quite a bit lighter, so I guess a 17'' below 2.5 kilos should be possible.

Note however that the 17'' MBP already had a very small bezel and was quite thin for its size, so there is not much to gain in terms of the form factor.

Resolution wise I would love a 16''-17'' screen with the 1920x1200 resolution I had on my 17'' machine. Or make it retina 3840x2400... On the 15'' this resolution is slightly too small for me.
 
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